Droplets of Summer
by Dolce-tasie
Summary: ...99 drabbles of Midorima Shintaro and his very own Summer. (1: their anticlimactic first meeting at a water cooler.) Drabble length varies greatly. Disclaimer: I do not own the current cover image.
1. Droplet One: First

**Happy birthday, Shintaro!**

 **Water cooler = water fountain, water spurter, water refilling machine, thing that spurts out water.**

 **:pity this poor author who knows nothing about writing romance:**

 **Drabble One - First**

* * *

To be perfectly honest, Midorima Shintaro disliked soda. And juices. And milk. Anything asides from tea, coffee, red bean soup and water. Humans needed variety, that he knew, but wasn't it a bit /too/ much to have _apple juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, pear juice carrot juice yoghurt juice_ , _watermelonjuicekiwijuicestrawberryjuicebananajuice_ – and many many others?

He wasn't amused. But of course, with fresh milk, there came _chocolatemilkstrawberrymilkbananamilk_ \- just how much of variety do humans actually want over a simple thing such as drinks?!

...obviously Oha-Osa's lucky item everyday must be different. That's an exception to the green haired basketball player's list of essentials.

So, with his great dislike of variety, he had of course opted for the most natural choice - _water_. To have a healthy lifestyle, it is better to have at least eight glasses of water a day.

Midorima walked down the corridor, his lucky item – a ruler, peeking out from his pocket. A pale, translucent empty water bottle lay in his hold as he walked to the water coolers beside the two machines that sold a disgustingly wide variety of _sodasjuicesmilksshakes_ – and no, he was not going to go into that again.

The corridors were empty, as it was supposed to be, what with the ongoing lessons and classes. He had asked for permission to fetch more water for his empty bottle. It was never good to not have water on hand after all – dehydration may result in a serious problem.

He scanned the two water coolers before stepping to the closer one and starting to refill his bottle.

Another pair of footsteps alerted him to another presence. It was not of his business – if it was a teacher, he had a hall pass to show he had gotten permission.

The tall player tipped his glasses back on its perch, still focused on pressing the button, allowing the transparent, cool water to flow into the bottle. It will condense, he realised with distaste, and make either the corner of his desk or his bag wet. With a short sigh, he reminded himself to bring tissues next time. Maybe he could use his leftover tape...but it would not be practical. Just when he banished the thought with finality, something dropped and rolled to his feet. He looked down, and stopped pressing the button down, letting his three-quarter filled bottle rest precariously on the edge of the water cooler.

A water bottle. A huff caught his attention, and he looked up to see a girl struggling with almost ten water bottles in her arms. A storm brew in her expressive blue eyes as she eyed the bottle that Midorima soon picked up. He stood up, towering over the girl. She blinked at him, as if she had just noticed his presence (how air-headed, he noted), before a bright smile broke off her lips.

"Thank you!" She skittered over to the water cooler beside him before squatting down, letting the bottles she had been holding drop on the ground before righting them up. (Around this time, he should have took the hint and placed the bottle down with a muttered 'you're welcome', but this is _Midorima Shintaro_ , and for goodness sake – he can't pick hints up.)

He realised he was already starting to stare, so he turned back quickly to the water cooler. Then he saw that he was still holding the pink polka-dotted bottle, and (finally pick up the hint? No) rushed to return it.

"Your bottle," he handed the girl who was already starting to fill up her first bottle. She looked at him, blinking once...before surprise overtook her features, and she started laughing lightly (what was there to laugh about? Midorima thought grouchily).

"Ah! Sorry, sorry," she received the bottle over with a grateful smile, "thank you!" And she repeated her expression of gratitude with the same smile again ( _it wasn't like I wanted to help you or something, nanodayo...it's just common_ _courtesy_ ), placing the bottle down along with the collection of bottles on the ground – _somehow managing to simultaneously knock all the bottles down like they were bowling pins._

The girl panicked, and started retrieving the bottles that were playfully escaping her grasp, muttering about how she 'had done it _again_ ', while trying to tuck escaping strands of brown hair tickling her face behind her ears. (Midorima didn't know, but the sudden feeling akin to dead-panning that he got was called 'exasperation'. He just knew Takao was a master at making him feel that way.)

He bent down to help pick a few escaping bottles and right them up (this time finally picking the hint up). The girl turned around quickly to catch the few remaining bottles, before realising the green-haired man with a ruler in his pocket had helped her. Slower than a heartbeat, but nonetheless bright, she smiled at the green-haired guy. Midorima quickly turned back to his water bottle. He had been out of class for way too long.

A moment passed, and when Midorima finally filled up his water bottle and turned to leave, a voice stopped him. "Ah – Mister Tall Guy – _would it be okay if I called you that?_ \- thank you very much for helping me!" The brunette called out from her position – still refilling the bottles –, half turned to him, her bright blue eyes shining with what he could perceive as gratitude. Really, too easy to read.

Midorima only tipped his glasses, before nodding.

"The bottle is overflowing."

With a slight yelp, the girl turned back to the water bottle, quickly screwing the cap over it before pulling out a handkerchief clumsily with her wet hand to wipe her hand.

Midorima turned and continued on his way.

Well, that was a pretty unexpected – and _strange_ – occurrence.

But nevertheless, it was their first meeting.

* * *

 **don't expect any update for the next three months. Poor author cramming for exams D:**


	2. Droplet Two: Second

**Drabble Two: Second**

* * *

The second meeting occurred two weeks later, and it wasn't so much strange as a _coincidence_.

Midorima had simply been out of class – of course, with his hall pass, water bottle and his lucky item of the day – a red plastic plate with a smiley face and the words 'I am happy!' written on with a thick black marker.

He made his way to the water cooler down the hall – when he saw a girl refilling water bottles. The pink polka dotted water bottle stood out, reflecting light reflected by the metal cooler.

Midorima moved to occupy the spot beside the girl. She blinked and looked up, seeing the tall basketball player. A smile erupted from her lips.

"Hello, Mister Tall Guy!" She eyed the red plate curiously (of course immediately noticing the stark contrast in the written words and the owner), but did not fire any questions ( _or laugh boisterously like Takao did_ ).

Midorima only tipped his glasses and nodded in acknowledgement (why would she bother to say anything at all? It's not like they know each other well or something, he thought dully).

He started filling his bottle up, and the girl replaced a full bottle with an empty one. She cast a few curious glances at the plate all the while.

"Ah... Mister Tall Guy." It was a stupid name. And Midorima had no obligation to respond to it.

( _But it's common c_ _o_ _urtesy –_ _and it's not like I wanted to respond or anything, nanodayo._ )

He inclined his head slightly as a sign that he heard her. She tilted her head in question.

"Why are you carrying a plate around, if you don't mind me asking?" Her voice was pure ' _I'm curious_ ', without the scepticism many others had.

"It is Oha-Asa's lucky item for Cancers today." He replied, still focused on his water bottle. She yelped slightly as her bottle overflowed (again) and the cold water drenched her hand in a jiffy.

She pulled out a handkerchief like last time, drying her hand as her curious gaze never wavered.

"Hm... It will give you luck?" She said thoughtfully. Midorima looked at the red plate held in the hand pressing the button down. The ridiculous smiley face Takao drew on it glared back at him mockingly.

"That is but a decision of fate." (He wanted to tip his glasses but his hands were occupied.)

She blinked with a small smile, like she didn't really understood what he said. ( _Well, he had no obligation to reply...nanodayo._ )

Screwing the cap over the bottle, she squatted down and collected the heavy bottles slowly, one by one. Midorima eyed her warily ( _they were just by the stairs! What if she fell and he was accused of pushing her down?! -_ ) as she collected the bottles, wobbling dangerously for a moment as she stood.

"I see," her reply came along with the bright smile that was customary, her blue eyes twinkling, "fate huh... Nice thing to believe in!" Her smile twitched for a moment, not matching the enthusiasm in her voice.

"See you around, Mister Tall Guy!" She walked down the stairs, and Midorima screwed the cap over his bottle.

Indeed, he would agree – fate _is_ a nice thing to believe in...

But he does know that fate is not a nice thing.

Shrugging off the – once again – strange occurrence, he walked back to class.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi! Welcome to this new drabble I had started – please do give this a chance! Thank you!**


	3. Droplet Three: Third

****Drabble Three: Third****

 **A/N: Chain Updates for DoS 1! :D**

* * *

He admitted he was a bit slow - just _that little bit_ \- but he never really paid heed to his classmates anyway.

Biology. The water-bottle girl shared the biology class with him, the only difference being that he sat at the upper left corner of the classroom, and she sat at the back. That was about right, Midorima argued with himself, she must always use the back door, and he uses the front door.

( _Not like he really wanted to get to know his classmates, nanodayo_.)

"Ah, Mister Tall Guy, good morning! I didn't know we shared the same class." She greeted cheerily, a bounce in her step as she walked into the class. Midorima nodded in acknowledgment, tipping his glasses then returning to revising his work. A set of footsteps made its way to his seat, and the brunette tilted her head curiously at the immaculate notes on Midorima's desk...along with a can of shaving cream.

She blissfully ignored it, choosing to scan his notes on the chapter of heredity he had. "Waaaah! You have such nice handwriting!" She beamed, and he just looked away to the window.

"It is acceptable, nanodayo." He said.

She blinked with the same confused small smile at the strange ending he used at the end of his sentence, but did not question it.

"I see! Your biology must be really good, huh! Ah... Nice notes... These are really good explanations," her usual smile came on, her blue eyes twinkling.

He tipped his glasses. Just then, people started filing in the near-empty classroom, chatters filling the room soon enough. The girl cast a glance at them, and quickly sent a small smile to Midorima before moving to the last seat of his row where her seat was.

The more boisterous students came in a group, laughing loudly or yelling over the classroom. Midorima let out a sigh of annoyance, his eyes flickering irritatedly to the clock which showed that it was five minutes before the bell rang and lesson started. Five minutes before peace.

The green-haired basketball player glanced behind when a particularly loud guffaw interrupted his train of thoughts. Then he blinked.

The water-bottle girl's seat is empty. A group of boys had gathered over at the next table, chatting and laughing about something that he couldn't hear. He scanned the class ( _it's not like I am looking for her or anything, but classes are about to start, nanodayo_ ), not spotting the brunette anywhere.

The bell rang, and students scrambled to their seats, crowds dispersing and noise decreasing, the peace that was once assaulted slowly coming back and calming Midorima's senses. He tipped his glasses and went back to his work (he _really_ wasn't looking for her, but it's common courtesy to show a little bit of concern for...say, _acquaintances_ ).

After the greeting, she still hasn't appeared ( _not that he was aware or anything, nanodayo_ ). His eye twitched and he pushed the thought away with finality, deciding to concentrate solely on his studies.

(Finally,) after a few more minutes, the girl burst into the class with an armful of water bottles. Midorima looked up with an annoyed expression, wondering who had interrupted him from his work (again).

He blinked, his eyes focusing on the slightly panting brunette, her face flushed.

"I am sorry..." She tried to bow, but the water bottles clearly prevented her from doing so. A few snickers arose from the back of the class.

The teacher tutted in disapproval. "Please don't be late again. For punishment, answer this question." He tapped on the written question on the board which Midorima had long copied down. He started writing on a scrap paper, his pen moving along fluidly to create penmanship that could only result from years of calligraphy practice.

Her blue eyes widened in dismay as she scanned the question.

"Uh..." She stuttered, hugging the water bottles closer in discomfort. Her eyes darted around, showing the struggle with the question.

"Pollution?" She tried. The teacher sighed.

"Just return to your seat," she waved dismissively at the girl who looked positively guilty for not being able to answer the question correctly. She trudged to her seat, and when their eyes met ( _he wasn't staring - ...nanodayo_ ), a corner of her lips twitched up to form a semblance of the usual smile she gives, tinted with sheepishness.

Midorima looked away, but his hand pushed a note to the edge of the desk.

' _Eutrophication_.'

She blinked and tilted her head for a second, before a light bulb seems to light up in her head as she nodded subtly with gratitude, a suppressed smile coming up her lips. Midorima glanced over, then looked away.

It wasn't like he wanted to help her or anything, _nanodayo_. It's just that - which... _idiot_ wouldn't know what eutrophication is? Writing ' _pollution_ ' as an answer will be a pure insult to the essence of biology.

The spectacled teen let his eyes drop to his notes.

The third meeting. His first initiatory. Her twelfth smile. The third - _fourth_ conversation they had.

Midorima tipped his glasses up.

...Now, that reflex counting was so unneeded. ( _It's not like he was keeping count or anything, nanodayo. Really._ )


	4. Droplet Four: Fourth

**Drabble Four: Fourth**

 **A/N: Chain Updates 2! There was a chapter updated before this, please read it if you haven't!  
**

* * *

Basketball practice for the day was drawing to an end, bringing the Friday to a tiring end. The sky slowly turned orange, as the sun set, giving the field an ethereal glow. Distant yells could be heard from other zealous groups, such as the baseball club as they chanted their catchphrase.

Midorima made his way to the row of basins located near the field - usually for the baseball players to wash up after their practice. But it is empty now - the baseball club having ended their practice much sooner than the basketball players.

Well, it _was_ empty. Until Midorima got closer and realised a girl was standing there, previously blocked by the wall.

Her sleeves were rolled up, her blazer absent. Her blue eyes reflected the orange tint of the sun and sky, her hands scrubbing water bottles with a ferocity and focus not many possessed.

Midorima walked on and took the spot at the adjacent sink, turning the tap on with a flick of his wrist. The girl startled, almost dropping the water bottle she was holding, looking up with all the surprise of 'oh, you're there' before breaking into a bright smile as her eyes lit up with recognition.

"Hello, Mister Tall Guy!" She greeted with her usual cheer. "Your club activities just ended?"

Midorima only nodded slightly, splashing his face with water and washing his arm until the elbows (like how doctors do, as his father had taught him years ago).

She hummed, and only then did Midorima realise that she yet again had about ten bottles in the sink, but this time... _washing_ them diligently.

She blinked, looking up at him again. "What's your lucky item for today, Mister Tall Guy?" His eyes traveled from his hands to meet her curious blue eyes.

"A rubber band," he replied in a matter-of-fact tone, but that did not deter the girl from flashing her usual smile. Then he paled.

He left the rubber bands on the bench. Midorima being Midorima, had collected all the red rubber bands his house had, before placing them in a small rectangular box and carrying it around. But now... He. Left. It. On the bench.

"Mister Tall Guy?" She waved a hand in front of him. "Are you okay? You just blanked out."

He snapped out of his stupor, nodding while tipping his glasses up. ( _Oh goodness of Oha-Asa. How had he even - he must have been in a great rush to get away from Takao_.) Decidedly placing the blame on Takao, he turned away, ready to run back to the gym to retrieve his lucky item.

"Did you perhaps...forget to bring your lucky item out?" She wondered with a tilt of her head, and he froze, before straightening and fixing his glasses.

"It was a mistake on my part," he admitted, albeit grouchily. ( _Well, who knew someone who looks so clumsy and air-headed actually noticed - but it wasn't that hard to._ ) "I will need to retrieve it now." With the obvious excuse he gave himself, he started running when a small wet hand latched onto his forearm.

"E-Eh... Here!" she beamed, presenting him with a blue rubber band. He stoned for a moment, wondering just why he was presented with a hairtie of all things. At his silence, she pouted slightly, before taking the initiative to put the band through his fist.

"Bad things might happen to you on your way to the gym without your lucky item, right?" She smiled. "Please take it!"

He paused, before he quickly realised _her hand was still on his arm ohgod_ and jerked himself away, a rising blush forming from the innocent contact. She blinked at him. Midorima pushed the rising red down and turned away.

(He should go now.)

"...It's not like I wanted to accept it or anything, nanodayo." He jogged all the way back to the gym without looking back or waiting for a reply.

Well...that was... _unexpected_ , to say the least.

Midorima glanced at the blue rubber band on his wrist. It's not his lucky colour, but it will last until he reached the gym.

"Neh, Shin-chan, you forgot your lucky item when you rushed out!" The black-haired basketball player perked up and waved when he spotted Midorima at his spot outside the gym. "Ehh~ what's that?"

 _Ugh damnnit_.


	5. Droplet Five: Conflict

**Drabble Five - Conflict**

 **A/N: Chain Updates 3! There were two updated chapter before this, please read it if you haven't!  
**

* * *

The new week started with a light morning drizzle. Which was an added predicament in her opinion, but it didn't matter much as she was slammed into the wall by those uncivilised punks _again_.

She raised her head with a small smile plastered on as usual.

"Do you need any help? Class is starting in another five minutes, so I may not be able to do much." She tucked a brown wet strand behind her ear, as if she wasn't bothered that she was surrounded by a gaggle of high schoolers wearing similar uniforms, sneering at her.

" _Oh_ , of course we need help." A girl at the front waved her long, manicured nails in the air, smirking slightly. She motioned for one of the boys behind her to place a cardboard box full of empty water bottles on the ground. The smile stretched the girl's lips even wider as she tried for a beam.

"Refilling water bottles? I can do it - "

The girl nudged the cardboard box, the water bottles spilling out of it. The box gradually soaked up the water, and the brown-haired girl only watched as the water bottles got pelted by the increasingly heavy rain.

"I meant," she said with a wider smirk, "wash all of these and set it outside my class. I want it all filled up by the time the first lesson ends." She gripped her chin to force the brown-haired girl to avert her gaze to hers. "Get it?"

She let go of the face like it burned her, and her lackeys followed, all holding multi-coloured expensive umbrellas that the girl was sure cost more than all the water bottles they had bought just to spite her.

She stood there, her hair wet and limp, as her uniform soaked up the rain. The black fabric weighed down on her heavily as she squatted down to collect the bottles.

 _It wasn't like...this is the first time anyway. Be strong._

 _Be strong...be stronger, Natsuki_.

The bell rang off.

A choked sob burst forth from her lips, and she covered her mouth, mortification whirling in her expressive blue eyes.

 _...be strong._

* * *

 **A/N: Please tell me how you think of Natsuki? :o _  
_**


	6. Droplet Six: Fifth

**Drabble Six: Fifth**

 **A/N: Chain Updates 4! There were three chapters updated before this, please read them if you haven't!  
**

* * *

Takao had been stupid enough to get injured during basketball practice.

Midorima, being a doctor's son - the _head doctor_ , much less - had dismissed it ( _it was just a bruise and some abrasions after all_ ).

So it irked him a lot, when he had whined and said something about wanting to go to the infirmary. Being idiotic had a limit after all. But the blood had spread just so that the wound looks more serious than it should be, so he was assigned to accompany Takao to the infirmary before it closed down for the day while the others packed up.

 _Yes, it irked him very much._

"Shiiiin-chan!" He whined, "you're walking too fast!"

" _You_ are walking too slow." The green-haired basketball player shot back, irritation seeping into his voice. _Oh he could so be on his way home now..._

Takao cradled his arm, blowing at his wound with a childish pout. "I am a patient!"

"Not in my definition, no." Midorima muttered, climbing two steps at a time, pulling the distance between him and the black-haired guy even further.

The orange sky shone through a thin sheen of mist and clouds, and Midorima grimaced at the thought of the heavy rain that morning coming back again.

"Hurry up, Takao," he quipped, walking down the second floor corridor with purpose. There is no one staying this late in school except students in clubs and personnel managing the school, so it was okay to make a little more noise to vent his irritation at the idiot.

"Coming," he sing-sang as Midorima slid the door open. Hopefully, the nurse will still be in.

And she is.

The woman dressed in white looked up from her clipboard, sitting at one of the beds to the right side of the room. The curtains were drawn to give each bed their own separate space, but he could still see the bed peeking out from where the curtain did not reach. Midorima noted that the blankets were rumpled, signifying that someone is occupying the bed.

"Yes, young man?" The nurse stood up, ready to help as she placed the clipboard down on a side table. Takao reached Midorima's spot, and the latter unceremoniously pushed the black-haired teen into the room.

"He needs help," he said with a monotonous voice. ( _He really didn't want to get caught in the rain that is likely to come._

 _But damnnit, Takao is the one pedaling today._ )

"Emi-sensei!" He whined. _Huh. So he knew the nurse._ Midorima resisted the urge to roll his eyes. No wonder he insisted on going to the infirmary.

"Oh, poor little Takao-kun. I haven't seen you in awhile, guess that's a good thing?" The nurse replied with dry humour, moving to grab some bottles and cotton sticks from the glass cabinet.

"Yes! Ain't you excited to see me?" Takao replied with all the charm he could muster while cradling an arm with a bruise and a few skinned areas seeping with blood.

"Yes, very excited," the nurse agreed with a raised eyebrow, looking no less excited than her tone. "Make yourselves at home then, you ought to be thankful I am still here."

"Shin-chan, come on!" Takao beckoned him in, and Midorima only closed the door behind in with a sigh.

"Don't call me that... And you better pedal twice as hard," he muttered in a low voice as he passed the whining black head, looking with satisfaction as he stiffened like " _oh, I had forgotten that today is pedaling day_ ".

Midorima settled down on the empty bed beside the one he deemed occupied, watching with disinterest as Takao whined for ' _Emi-sensei to take better care of me_ '.

 _Why was he here again?_

A whimper sounded from the next bed, and the room quieted (more like Takao had decided to shut up for a second). The nurse stood up and quickly got over to the occupied bed, as Takao mumbled something about ' _Emi-sensei caring more about others than me_ '.

( _No seriously._ )

"Are you...fine?" The nurse's muffled voice sounded from the other side of the curtain.

A few ruffles of fabric.

Soft voices spoke, and Midorima paid no interest to it, thinking about his itinerary when he gets home. He snapped out of his reverie when patters of feet told of the nurse returning to ' _care'_ for Takao.

A set of feet touching the ground and a few ruffles later, the curtain slid back unexpectedly, Midorima turning to the sound on instinct.

Emerald eyes met blue ones.

The girl blinked, and a smile broke off her lips (as usual?) as recognition flooded her eyes.

"Hello, Mister Tall Guy!"

She had on the school uniform, but her blazer and ribbon hung on a hanger to the wall behind her. Her blue eyes shone with the same clarity as the first (and second, and third, and fourth) time he met her, and he easily found the cheer in the swirling azure.

Then it occurred to him that Takao was watching them curiously, having ceased his chatter as the nurse treated him. Midorima cleared his throat, and the girl looked up from the chore of putting her indoor shoes on.

"It's Midorima Shintaro," he muttered as a reply, but it seems she caught it anyway. She only blinked, taking another extra second to burst into the bright smile (as he expected).

"Okay, then... Midorima-kun?" She didn't wait for a reply as she stood up, making her way to her blazer and ribbon hanging from the wall.

"Yes," he acquiesced, finding no wrong with her addressing him as such ( _it wasn't like he minded her calling him that mildly childish yet simple nickname, it was just that Takao will make a mountain out of a molehill again, and he wouldn't want that...nanodayo_ ).

"Are you sick?" She asked, in the process of untangling her blazer from the hanger (how she even get it tangled, he has no idea).

"No," he tipped his glasses up, "a team member got injured during basketball practice." There, short and to-the-point explanation.

"Who?" She wondered, now proceeding to untangle the other sleeve. ( _Oh for goodness sake. Just how?_ ) Her eyes wandered around until it rested on Takao. She jumped.

"Ah, sorry," she nodded to him in greeting, apology swirling in her eyes and body language, "... I didn't see you there." Takao raked on his charm, turning it on seeming full blast.

"No, it's fine!" She finally got her blazer on, which looks suspiciously wrinkled.

"I would be going now, Eri-sensei," she bowed, a little clumsily after she retrieved her ribbon. Not bothering to shrug them on, she grabbed her bag and made a beeline for the door.

"Goodbye, Midorima-kun and friend." She smiled brightly for a last time before the door slid shut. The room was left in silence until Eri-sensei turned back to her clipboard.

"You are all patched up, Takao-kun. You guys may leave now," she said. Takao immediately returned to being the gushing boy, before Midorima dragged him out of the infirmary.

He looked out at the darkening sky with a frown.

( _It's not like he's wondering why she was in the infirmary - or anything, nanodayo._ )

"Shin-chan, that gir - "

" _Takao_ , it's way past when practice ends."

"Eek! I geddit, I geddit Shin-chan!" He raced down the stairs (to the cart), a stark contrast to his previous pace, no longer cradling his injured forearm.

He looked down from the second floor window, watching as a black blur with familiar long wavy brown hair run out of the school, hugging her bag.

The first splatters of rain fell.

Midorima sighed, his annoyance spiking again.


	7. Droplet Seven: Out-of-Order

**Drabble Seven: Out-of-Order**

 **A/N: Chain Updates 5! Last of Chain Updates - there were 4 chapters updated before this, please read them if you haven't!**

* * *

Midorima Shintaro can safely say that one of his best subjects is Mathematics - he enjoyed the twists and turns which his stiff upbringing had failed to shed much light on. Perhaps he could actually relate the essence of Math to life, but it would be pretentious and boring.

So he just stuck with a simple fact: _he likes Math_.

And he kept count of many things. It was mostly to keep his brain aware of the surroundings and sharp. Nothing more and nothing less. Like how he had a habit of playing sudoku every night before dinner. An innocent habit.

It was of course natural that Midorima had started keeping count of the coincidental meetings and bumping-into with one brown-haired girl. But how was he supposed to keep count?

The number of students in this school, the number of basketballs kept in the lockers, the number of seats in the gym...even the number of floorboards that made up the gymnasium was something he could keep count of -

But much like when his sister started bothering him almost every evening to guide her in her homework, Takao started appearing everywhere, his mother whipping up delicious meals whenever she was home...

He stopped keeping count of those. Keeping count of something made it realistic, made it existing, made it definite and finite... And not keeping count preserved the foolish feeling that a human get - the slight warming of his heart - _the possibility that it could be indefinite_.

Of course, that was much untrue. But humans like to hold on to things that doesn't make sense - or actually make sense but doesn't hold true (like Takao's fantasies of the married nurse - _didn't he ever see the wedding ring on her ring finger?_ \- returning his overblown affections).

The first time was at fifth floor's water cooler. The second time was there as well. The third time was in the classroom on the fourth floor. The fourth time was at the basin near the quadrangle. The fifth time was in the infirmary.

There were many in-betweens which he was confused as to whether he should count it or not. Glimpses in the hallways, coincidentally catching each other's eye during morning assembly or before that...all with no real conversation held. But the meaning was there.

He didn't mind her presence, her cheer, her seeming overly-bright smile, or the bounce in her steps. Or her tendency to wash or refill water bottles.

( _It was tolerable. Sometimes more so than Takao's presence - he still had not gotten used to how he could somehow always find him during lunch._ )

But it's not like he wanted it to be indefinite. That's not the reason he stopped counting their meetings. ( _Much like how that was not the reason he stopped counting his and Takao's meetings as well._ )

He is not some prude with OCD and has to tap every locker he pass, and counting was - for a lack of better word - boring. Not a hassle, but definitely not required...and monotonous. It was really just a habit from when he was young and the only thing he could do was count.

So he stopped. The flicker of glances, the semblance of a smile, the hop of a step, the hesitancy before a nod as a reply...

He stopped counting at the sixth meeting, and the twentieth smile. She really did smile a lot. And to think out of so many smiles, not one was contributed by him.

"Midorima-kun, are you always very upset?" She wondered, her hand idly scrubbing the water bottle with a sponge (that he has no idea how he got), "I've never seen you smile."

He tipped his glasses upwards.

"I am not upset," he replied. ( _Indulging her, because it's common courtesy, nanodayo._ ) "I am not used to smiling a lot." He offered as a curt explanation.

She blinked with a tilt of her head, putting aside the water bottle in her hand. Three...two...one...

A bright smile adorned her lips.

He would prefer to say that his counting mechanism is out-of-order at the moment.

( _So it was not like that was her twenty-first smile or anything, nanodayo._ )

"Smile, Midorima-kun! It really makes everything better!" She stretched her arms in a wide gesture, as if trying to encompass the complex sentence she had just said. 'Better' is a really ubiquitous and vague word to use. What was the need of smiling so much?

But just for common social courtesy sake, he bowed his head a little and focused on flicking the water off his hands.

"I see." The corner of his lips twitched, and he averted his eyes from what he was doing.

Midorima decided to stop counting.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi, please tell me what you think of this story, and of Midorima and Natsuki's interaction? What would you like to see next? :D Please review to tell me how you feel (:**


	8. Droplet Eight: Coincidental

**Drabble Eight: Coincidental**

* * *

It was the burning sun, the scorching gym, the rolling beads of sweat, the uncovered shelter, the merciless rays and the lactic acid in his muscles that brought him to first floor's vending machine.

Where some uncivilised chaps were vandalising it.

"Spit it out, dammnit!" The teen in the baseball jersey kicked the vending machine, while his friend slammed his palm onto the side loudly. They cursed - _words Midorima would never dare utter out of his mouth_ \- and with a few more vindictive kicks, heard a tumble.

"It came out!"

So it looks like they were trying to get the vending machine to work. Midorima found no wrong with that, but he just couldn't agree with the way they made it seem so.

A can of red bean soup rested innocently on the baseball chap's hand, before he angrily threw the can down, kicking it away.

His green eyes darkened behind their glasses.

( _No. One. Treats. Red. Bean. Soup. That. Way.)_

"It isn't what Maria-sama wants! Try again!" They started abusing the vending machine again, and Midorima finally decided he had seen enough.

Walking forward, Mr Ribbit in hand, he stopped right behind the two boys, one of which was preparing for a kick to the dented machine.

"Excuse me," Midorima inquired non-too-politely, his tone hard.

The chap in the baseball jersey looked up, his face screwing up into what is supposed to be an intimidating expression, his fists already curling for the hint of violence. The other boy turned as well, cracking his jaw in a show of strength -

" _What do ya wa-_ " they froze.

"I would like to get my drink," Midorima said, _very politely_ , tipping his glasses back. It caught the shine of the sun, and reflected his narrowed emerald eyes and tightened jaw. His height towered over the two chaps, and despite the weather, the duo broke a cold sweat. The glass frog on his hand looks pretty realistic...right, and he looks murderous all of a sudden as well...

Wait, the owner looks more -

" _We're sorry!_ " they squeaked, scurrying out of the way and into the main building. Midorima blinked, then stared, puzzled, at the main entrance of the building.

(He really only did want to buy his drink.)

He stood in front of the machine, discreetly eyeing the red bean soup tucked nearly in the bottom right corner of the selections. He raised a hand and inserted the coin, hearing the coin slid into its slot, before pressing the button. The tumble of the can was the signal for him to bend down and retrieve it, and he did so with relief that the previous two childish chaps had not ruined the machine.

* * *

"Che, who was that guy?"

"Judging by that jersey, the basketball club then. Man, he was tall as fuck."

" _You_ were the one who ran first."

"Well, you followed like the dog you were..."

The conversation went on until they reached a room, labelled the Science Society. The door slid open suddenly, and a short brown-haired girl tottered out, balancing more than ten water bottles in her arms at once.

Her eyes widened when she spotted them, and she tried to bow. The extra burden in her head took that ability away with ease, and she rocked unsteadily on her feet instead, before straightening up.

"Good day," she muttered, trying to walk past them.

The boys exchanged a glance as the short girl tried to weave past them. An arm tug was all it took for the bottles to tumble from her arms. The other boy slid the Science Society door shut. The occupants didn't seem to have heard the bottles dropping - or simply did not care much.

The boy who grabbed her arm wore a shark-like grin.

"Now, we haven't been in a good mood..." He started. "And you didn't exactly _respectfully_ greet me _senpai_..."

He smirked. The other boy cracked his knuckles. The girl stiffened, trying to wrench her hand out of the boy's arm but to no avail.

"But... ' _senpai_ '... is used for someone I respect, Tanauchi-san." She muttered, still fruitlessly attempting to get her arm out of his grip.

"Ho," the boys started laughing, one taking cue from another.

"Now, now, you are under Maria-sama's care... So of course we are your _senpai_." They shared another laugh (which was, in her opinion, absolutely disgusting), "come now, Inoue Natsuki. You deserve... _say_ , a punishment for insubordination."

She looked up, fear swirling in her eyes. Her foot misstepped on a water bottle, and she fell harshly onto the ground, the boy having let go at the last second.

"Oopsie," he grinned. "That fall was great, but it doesn't lighten your punishment..."

 _Fear._ She clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms.

 _Weak..._

 _Natsuki, you weakling._


	9. Droplet Nine: Test

**Drabble Nine: Test**

* * *

Midorima had always been sensitive to his surroundings. That is to say, he doesn't usually go tripping over people.

 _This time was a perfectly legal, reasonable exception._

She was tucked away in the darkest corner of the least used stairwell in the school, not making a sound or any movement, perfectly still. Her long wavy brown hair did not help in making her presence known, instead helping her to blend in more with the dull coloured wall behind her.

He had quickly muttered an apology after realising that _no, he did not trip over a corpse_ (and there was no need to dial for the ambulance or yell for the teachers).

The brown, curled up girl (judging by her black stockings and hair so long that it rested limply on the floor as she sat there) did not react. What, was she used to being tripped over? ( _Somehow, that was a surprisingly sad thought._ )

He frowned, finally recognising that _ah, there's a pink polka dotted water bottle beside her_ , and it is familiar.

The water-bottle girl.

In all retrospect and for all of the physics laws in this world, Midorima could have just as easily had walked off and not give a damn about her for the coming moments of his life, but this was a huge anomaly - almost like an UFO landing, and people being too curious to leave it alone.

"...hey." Midorima forced out, awkward and all (on the account that she did greet him every time they bumped into each other). He silently prayed that the good thing Oha-Asa predicted would happen to him today would come soon.

No reply. After another short moment, the green-haired guy considered just turning away and denying that he had ever said that one syllable for his whole life - (he was _not_ in denial, _nanodayo_ ), when a shuffle caught his attention.

The brown-haired girl raised her head, and blinked blearily, the redness and puffiness of her eyes visible ( _either she had not slept for the whole night, or she was crying, but that was impossible for someone who has such a...a smile...nanodayo_ ). She took a few seconds to get her act up and another five to notice that Midorima was standing there awkwardly, having the most ferocious inner debate in his life about whether he should run or not.

 _Or not, really._

Her lips took another second longer to stretch into the familiar smile he anticipated, and she blinked, although it looked painful to do so.

"Hello, Mister... I mean..." She paused, and tilted her head. "Midorima-kun." She said, a little unsure. Then her blue eyes seem to brighten up a bit as she remembered that _yes, that is indeed his name_.

Midorima fixed his glasses, opting for a nod of acknowledgement.

( _He did not initiate the conversation. He did not say 'hey'._ )

"What are you doing here?" He asked curtly, not wishing to waste any more time at this stairwell that had probably been unoccupied for long periods of time... _all the time._

She blinked, as if she had not really registered his question, but answered. "I am...at the stairwell."

A spark of exasperation ignited within him. "I was asking ' _what_ ', not 'where'." She nodded, as if she understood, but her eyes were a little dazed and unfocused.

"Ah... I..." She stretched out her legs, then started searching her blazer for something. A folded piece of paper was soon produced and revealed to be the most recent Biology test their class had.

A red '20' sat angrily atop the test paper. Midorima's hand trembled as he received over the paper; he had never seen such a horrifying score ever since leaving Teiko and Aomine and his _utterly humiliating grades behind_.

"I was...mourning for the eighty soldiers who died in the course of battle." Midorima couldn't decide which was worst: the fact that he understood her words, or the fact that she is using them unabashedly.

He deadpanned.

"...I see." His eyes trailed down to scan the test -

 _Oh. So her name is..._

(He forced his eyes to look past the name.)

\- seeing the horrendous answers she had given - before stopping at the last one...particularly tested on 'eutrophication'. Midorima paused, reading through the answer.

\- _Inoue Natsuki._

 _(It's not like he was interested or anything, nanodayo. Midorima filed the name away in his mind.)_

"...you studied eutrophication." He said.

She blinked back at him, cradling her pink polka-dotted water bottle in her arms.

"I didn't have time to study at all, Midorima-kun," she replied, confused, "I just remembered your notes from the last time I saw them..."

He raised an eyebrow. That was nearly three weeks ago (around the same time he ordered Takao to pedal him to Kaijo...just to watch a practice match...).

( _They missed it._ )

"I see," he replied. She smiled, a little sheepishly. A resigned sigh escape her lips. "Well, I just have to try harder next time," a bright, slightly lopsided grin was thrown his way. He averted his gaze, tipping his glasses up.

"...well, I wouldn't bother you further, Midorima-kun," she stood up, dusting her skirt and patting the creases out. She smiled apologetically. "It must be hard talking to me sometimes - I-I mean," she stammered, "people told me I am slow...and really hard to communicate with..." She shuffled, transferring her weight from one foot to the other.

Midorima's eyes snapped back to see her eyes looking elsewhere and her guilty ( _why is she guilty?_ ) smile - so unlike...the usual one.

( _When did a 'usual' even establish between them?_ )

The smile dropped, and he felt empty. Just - a little. (Empty is an _over_ statement.) Like if he forgot his lucky item, or his textbook for the lesson, or to add tomato to the sandwich.

"I'll go off first, Midorima-kun!" She smiled her usual smile, although it lacked...something. "Sorry for taking up your time," she laughed sheepishly, like she didn't really mean it, except he knows she did.

On the way out, she tripped on two steps, but never turned back.

Midorima looked down at the test paper in his hands.

 _No really, is it possible for one to forget their brains at home? Because she actually forgot_ her test that was in my hands _right in front of her._ He sighed, but his mind trailed back to what she said before she - Inoue - left.

(It's not like - it's hard to talk to her or anything...well, she does the talking most of the time.

And this time, Midorima thinks he really is not denying that. But again, he never denied anything.)


	10. Droplet Ten: Repair

**Drabble Ten: Repair**

* * *

It's not like she was acting unusual or something, but out of all the times they bumped into each other, she would make small talks and he would reply promptly. The atmosphere between them turned almost awkward and frosty, though maybe that was just Midorima. (It was also partly the reason why he did not mention her forgotten test at all - _he was not prompted_. But again, Midorima does not need prompting. He doesn't. He really don't.)

He had went home (and his OCD activated) and corrected all the answers for the test with a horrendous score ( _it's not OCD, nanodayo_ ). He took it as extra revision ( _it really was, trust him_ ) for Biology. After all, one can never be too good at something...

(...except perhaps basketball, but that's a different story.)

Now, he roamed the hallways, trying to find the girl who had stupidly yet genuinely forgot to retrieve her test from him. ( _Did she even realise she left it with him?_ ) Just like Oha-Asa predicted his good luck for the day (as Cancer was ranked fifth), he caught the edges of long wavy brown hair turning a corner at the second floor of the main building.

Midorima speed-walked to catch up, the test clutched in his hand and the other holding a toy rabbit (that he did _not_ nick from his sister's room).

He turned the corner, puzzled to see that there was no one but a dead end and windows to meet him. He looked at the only door by the hallway - recognising it as what leads to the infirmary. (Unless she jumped out of the window in that five seconds Midorima took to catch up.)

(But why?)

He pushed away that little thought, opting to try the infirmary when he heard two thuds, one louder than the other. His heart quickened - (had her clumsiness finally got her in deep trouble - even in the safe confines of an infirmary?)

And he slid the door open.

"Inou - " his eyes widened.

A wheeled office chair lay on the floor, its wheels still rolling with whatever kinetic energy it had retained before the air molecules would eventually slow them to a stop. She lay there limply, half-curled up in a ball, whimpering weakly. Something - something was wrong with the picture -

"Inoue?" He spoke, and she cracked an eye open. He realised what was wrong - _a trail of blood trickling down from her head, some brown strands already dyed a deeper shade of magenta_.

Panic seized him and the test dropped from his hand, the plush toy retained only by an inch of its ear.

"Inoue? Can you hear me?" He immediately crouched down by her head, dropping his lucky item at the side, his medical knowledge running loops around his mind.

She clutched her head tightly, brown strands getting tangled in her fingers.

"Hurts..." She breathed out.

"Okay," Midorima replied calmly, _that was the expected answer_ , he told himself, "can you stand?"

She nodded a little, wincing. He watched as the girl forced herself into the sitting position, and he helped her to the nearest bed where she collapsed with a pant.

 _Just where is the nurse?_ Midorima thought irritably as he checked the weekly schedule pasted to the table at the side, frowning in contemplative silence as he spotted that it is lunch time for the nurse.

...should he?

Midorima made his way back to the girl. "Let me see it," he asked, inspecting the cut on her forehead. It was not too deep, so there's no hurry then... (He had no idea where the medical supplies were anyway. It's not like he wanted to help her or something, but it's common courtesy to at least try, nanodayo.)

"You might want to lie down," he suggested, going to the entrance to retrieve his lucky item and the test, sliding the door close.

She smiled weakly in reply. "Do I have to? It's just a small cut..."

He gave the fallen chair a pointed look.

The smile turned sheepish. "And a trip over the edge of the chair."

(It is truly a _skill_.)

Straightening the chair, he fixed his glasses. "Dummy," he grumbled out softly without bite, catching the time on the clock, seeing that it was near the end of lunch break. She didn't seem to hear it, too preoccupied with the pain it seems.

"I should get back soon," he said as he walked to the side of her bed. She was quick to reply.

"Ah, yes! Yes, you should, Midorima-kun. Sorry for troubling you..." She trailed off. Midorima just let out a small huff, like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He placed the corrected test on the sidetable.

"You forgot this," Midorima said. Her eyes widened at the test, like she had just received a surprise present for Christmas. He went on his way to the door when she had no reply, only a slight gawk and long stare at the paper.

Then, recalling what their last proper conversation entailed...

"Inoue," he started, successfully catching her attention.

"Y-You're not...hard to...talk to," he muttered quickly under his breath, before escaping the room faster than one could say 'basketball'.


	11. Droplet Eleven: Frequent

**Drabble Eleven: Frequent**

* * *

Midorima was ( _not_ relieved) to find out that their conversations returned to the usual cheer (which is not really much at all, but it was (( _not_ )) a plus). She would greet him as her usual bubbly self, sometimes with water bottles, sometimes without, but always with a glad undertone that seems to spell out ' _thank you_ '.

(For what?)

Their small chats had also ranged to when they would arrive early for Tuesday's biology lessons when no one will be in the classroom, and she would greet him with the usual smile and "Good morning, Midorima-kun!", sometimes inquiring about his lucky item of the day (always curious but exasperatingly dense in ways that are sometimes not comprehensive), sometimes just rushing to her seat to finish up some forgotten homework.

That was how Takao discovered her, on the off chance that they used the front doors together and she smiled at him when their eyes met coincidentally.

"Ooooi! Shin-chan!" He came barreling down the hallway, a few conscientious student council members starting one of their long rants on not running down the hallway. People who knew better scrammed to the sides, some on reflex from the number of times it had happened.

He tipped his glasses up, wondering if he should start pretending that he didn't know the black-haired guy coming right at him.

"Shin-chan, the Inter-High - " he started excitedly, his eyes wide and his hands making a huge gesture, making people dodge left and right to avoid his arms. He made no move to acknowledge them, as his eyes fixed on the brown-haired girl fixed right beside Midorima.

She blinked owlishly.

Takao grinned widely, and Midorima regretted not scramming when he had the chance.

"Shin-chan! I can't believe this!" He hollered loudly before Midorima can slap a hand over his big mouth. "You've got a girl?!" His voice rang clearly through the hallways, some people looking over curiously while some just continued staring.

( _What_? Just get used to it already.)

Midorima flushed at the attention, his hand instinctively moving to tip his glasses up as his aura approached a more murderous edge.

" _Takao_..." The aforementioned gulped, realising he had just attracted a bit more attention than he should. Just... _a bit_.

"You were from the infirmary," she interrupted the one-sided glaring match (which Takao was very thankful for). Upon realising what she did, a light pink hue took over her cheeks and she bowed quickly (in an albeit unsteady way, like she couldn't quite keep her balance up).

"I am sorry for disturbing your conversation!"

"Ah no, there wasn't much of a conversation from the start anyway..." Takao started, his natural instinct guiding him to find a reply that would alleviate the poor girl's worry. Noticing that Midorima was still keeping up his 'go-die' glare, he quickly switched the topic.

"R-Right, I _was_ from the infirmary," he winced, realising how wrong that sounded. "I meant, I was there for Emi-sensei...yeah...to- to help me!" Takao corrected _(he needs to give up already, nanodayo_ ).

Midorima just sighed, as if he was used to it. "Let's just go, Takao." He said grouchily, adjusting the strap of his bag. He refused to waste his break because of an idiot.

"Ah, Shin-chan! You are not introducing us?" The black head pouted. Midorima glared.

"If you want to get to know Inoue, then do it yourself," Midorima shifted from foot to foot, restless. He _really_ wanted to get to that book - and his bento. And refilling his water bottle.

"Oh, her name is Inoue?" He waggled his eyebrows."what else have you done together?" He adopted a suggestive tone. (Midorima is _this_ close to slapping him.) "and to think you didn't tell your best friend." He huffed, then stuck his hand out with a bright smile ( _which of course Midorima did not compare with hers - it is simply not comparable, nanodayo, not that he was trying or anything_ ). "I am Takao Kazunari!"

She just blinked, a second late like she was trying to catch the last train to understand what just happened. Then a bright smile broke upon her lips, so genuine that even Takao blinked, his eyes wide, as if he was surprised that someone could smile like that.

Midorima fixed his glasses. (It's not like he was observing or anything, nanodayo.)

"My name is Inoue Natsuki," she replied in a surprisingly serene voice, "nice to meet you!" And there, the cheer comes in.

Takao grinned and shook her hand when she took it. Midorima resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I am going," Midorima walked on ahead.

"A-Ah, Shin-chan, wait for me! Bye, Natsuki-chan!" The black-haired male ran to catch up with his self-proclaimed best friend, turning around and walking backwards to wave goodbye at the girl left behind.

"Idiot," Midorima muttered, catching Takao's attention, "don't call someone by their first name when you first meet them. It's rude, nanodayo." Translation: even for an idiot, it's inexcusable as this is common courtesy which even a monkey knows.

Takao grinned. "Eeeh, is Shin-chan getting protective?"

To Midorima's credit, he did not blush. Instead, a book rapped on Takao's skull harshly, followed by a reply.

" _Go die_."


	12. Droplet Twelve: Cornered

**Drabble Twelve: Cornered**

* * *

It was another rainy day.

The droplets smashed down onto the concrete floor with surprising viciousness, the sounds of the death of many droplets creating a loud harmony that may as well be called the funeral march.

Natsuki briefly considered to jump out of the window. It was only the first floor after all. Her blue eyes scanned the people surrounding her cautiously.

She was going to be late for work.

"Ah... Is there something you need?" She smiled, putting extra effort to make sure it doesn't seem flimsy or weak.

 _Hurry...hurry._

Tanauchi just grinned sharply, raising his hand slowly as if for dramatic effect. Natsuki felt her back meet the wall harshly, her head getting a free hit against the wall as well. She bit down on her lower lip to prevent from making any sound.

"So... I heard you've been disrespectful to Tanauchi," another stepped up, speaking, "and we just couldn't get over it... Let's see, what should we do? Hm..." He pretended to think.

Natsuki's muscles tensed at the jab of pain sent through her skull. _No no no not now..._

 _Not now of all times..._ The coming sharp jabs in her skull made her eyes scrunch up - _don't tear, idiot_. The surroundings became blurry as objects and people lost their edges, the colours mixing and swirling.

Natsuki inhaled roughly, gulping as much air as possible, forcing tears to her eyes at the effort. Her eyes cleared a little but the insistent pounding in her head remained. Black spots started dotting her vision.

"Ah, maybe if you...at his feet...he'll...nicer!" The words started slurring and linking as the rushing of blood replaced her sense of hearing. The brown-haired girl clutched the pillar behind her tightly, fear coursing through her veins.

 _Of all times..._

"Pardon?" She wheezed out with difficulty, hoping that they did not notice how she was slightly hunched over and she could not hear half of what they said.

A hand came down on her head roughly, unexpectedly grabbing a fistful and yanking her up to look into the face of one of the boys. Her eyes focused and unfocused. Natsuki felt the pain of her roots of her hair being tugged on harshly. Tears welled up even more in her eyes, slipping down her cheeks as pain overtook her senses.

 _The roots of her hair, the pain behind her eyes, the black spots and blurred colours, the slurred words and stomping of feet, the magnified laughter..._

"I guess this could count as begging! She's crying man, guys, look, she's crying!" He laughed, and many others followed, the jeering sounds ringing down the hallway.

 _Late... I...am late..._

"I am telling you, Inoue," he sneered, "that nobody gives one fuck about your tears."

The pounding on her skull felt so loud, like every pound was going to break her skull. The tears felt hot on her cheeks.

"So I've heard you got some friends? Some loser from the basketball club..." Tanauchi chuckled, like it was all very funny. "You should stop," he suggested, "cause no one in this school can tolerate you."

The floor met her like a hard cushion as more slurred words and footsteps sounded all around her like some broken radio.

With relief, she thought, _are they walking away? Please do..._

As all fell to silent and the only thing accompanying Natsuki was her bad case of migraine, she curled into a ball and clutched her head tightly, hoping to ease the pain.

 _I am late to work..._ she sniffed.

 _Ten seconds, Natsuki... Ten seconds of weakness before getting out of the school. Ten..._

But honestly, she felt tempted to just lie there in the hallway forever. Ten seconds was barely enough.

 _Nine..._

She whimpered at another sharp throb in her head.

 _Eight..._

It was not enough.

 _Seven..._

 _"No one in this school can tolerate you."_

 _Six..._

A choked groan escaped Natsuki's lips. She can no longer distinguish the pain in the roots of her hair, and the pounding on her skull.

 _Five._

 _Be kind, little monkey in my head_ , she thought desperately, _I really need to...get going._ Her hand reached out to grasp at the school bag laying just a few feet away, half of its contents spilled.

 _Four._

 _Am I...that hard to talk to?_

 _Three._

 _"Inoue, y-you're not...hard to...talk to."_

 _Two._

Natsuki smiled weakly, despite herself. Another tear slipped down her cheek as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. _Make the best of everything_ , right?

 _One._

She looked up at the clock hung on the wall.

 _4:05 p.m._

Her smile dropped, and her hands clenched into fists. She exhaled shakily.

"Zero," Natsuki said softly.

"Eh? Natsuki-chan?" Her eyes snapped up to see Takao frozen at the stairwell, holding a bottle of sports drink that he had no doubt bought from the second floor vending machine.

His eyes scanned over the scattered paraphernalia for school on the floor, and her red, tear-streaked face.

She forced her lips to tilt up in what she hoped was a convincing smile.

"Good afternoon?" She croaked out, and Takao's eyes narrowed.

 _...uh...oh?_


	13. Droplet Thirteen: Spot

**Drabble Thirteen: Spot**

* * *

 _It was annoying_ , Midorima finally admitted, the way Takao was able to spot Inoue _every single day_.

How does he even spot her in the throng of students rushing out of the gymnasium after assembly? In the hallways? _During basketball practice, through the slight gap of the doors_? It's almost as if fate had intervened itself, but of course, that was not possible. (Oha-Asa would have said something.)

Getting cautious with Takao's sudden, borderline unhealthy interest in Inoue, Midorima had went to the extent of checking Scorpio's horoscope reading for the day. For extra precaution, maybe he should check Inoue's as well - but alas, he did not know her sign.

(Of course that's not a problem. It's _extra_ precaution, nanodayo.)

"Heeeey, Natsuki-chan!" _That, too._ (It's not like the fact that Takao calls her by her first name bothered him very much, but the fact that Takao had plainly disregarded the essence of 'civilised person' and 'common courtesy', nanodayo.)

Midorima grunted as a greeting when she smiled brightly at the both of them. Takao pulled ahead as he jogged to catch up with the girl in the empty hallway.

The green-haired male wondered if Takao actually mapped out a route so that they can _coincidentally_ bump into Inoue all the time.

"Hello, Takao-kun, Midorima-kun!" Takao grinned, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Yo! I am accompanying Shin-chan to biology." She blinked.

"But isn't it on the other side of the building? You'll be late for physics, Takao-kun." Takao put on the thinking face.

"Ah, you see, Shin-chan just reeeaally needed my company..." _What_.

Midorima glared, boring holes into Takao's head. The latter didn't seem to notice as he rattled on.

"Shin-chan is actually really lonely, ya' know? So as his best friend, I have to do something... Being late for a class or two is a small price to pay...!"

Inoue sent Midorima a sympathetic face, and he decided he had enough of Takao's nonsense. In a flash, the spine of a book met Takao's head harshly, and he yelped in pain.

"Heeey, Shin-chan!" He pouted, his hands going up to massage the spot where he hit. "Careful! I have a test later!"

Midorima glared icily. "Well, I guess it wouldn't make a difference as to how many brain cells you have."

He gawped. "Meanie!"

A sanguine laugh interrupted their little spats, as both males turned their gazes to the girl - who Midorima just realised, had only smiled, but never laughed.

Takao grinned cheekily - _as if he noticed too_ \- slinging an arm over Midorima's shoulder, in which the latter tried to flinch away.

"I know right, Natsuki-chan! We can be the comedy duo!" He gestured dramatically. Midorima guessed that the exasperation and annoyance showed too clearly on his face, as Inoue burst into another fit of giggles. Takao smiled proudly, like he had accomplished something.

The warning bell rang off. The black-haired male's face quickly dissolved into panic.

"A-Ah...damn. I have to run. Bye, Shin-chan, Natsuki-chan!" He waved and ran off.

"Have a good time!" He yelled before turning the corner.

Inoue blinked, her head going in that familiar questioning tilt. "I...don't really get what he meant by - "

Midorima fake-coughed. "He didn't mean anything," he muttered, then quickly walked on ahead. That idiot Takao.

(He wouldn't admit it, but a _small, small_ part of him took notice of the soft pitter patters of her feet as she rushed to catch up with him.)


	14. Droplet Fourteen: Project

**Drabble Fourteen: Project**

* * *

 _It was better to take things into his own hands_ , Midorima concluded, when some classmates had turned around, trying to catch his eye. He tipped his glasses up, instead focusing his eyes on his lucky item of the day; a pink sandal.

"So, you can choose your partner for the project now. You have a week to hand it up." The teacher finished, before trotting over to the plastic chair at the side and settling down. Students bustled around, standing up to go to their chosen partners or friends. A few made their way to Midorima, opting to go for the perfect-score chairman of class 1-A.

"Midorima-san - " someone started, already halfway to his seat. Annoyance flashed through his emerald eyes, before the tall basketball player abruptly stood up, surprising the three who were walking to him. Unnoticed by the rest of the hustle bustle, Midorima picked up his pink sandal and walked out of the confining circle of the three as if they didn't exist. A girl started protesting, attempting to bring herself into attention, but the green-haired male barely spared her a blink.

He walked purposefully to the back of the classroom, a few students scramming to the side to allow the tall entity to go through.

The subject of his stare sat there in the corner of the classroom, almost pitifully alone, isolated from all the noise and sound generated. She blinked out at the outdoor basketball court on the ground floor, her blue eyes dazedly following the ball.

(Why is she just sitting there? Did she perhaps found a partner already? ...well, he had to try.)

Then her eyes caught on something, and a smile erupted from her lips unexpectedly. He followed her eyes to the basketball court, where Takao is waving zealously at Inoue. She waved back lightly.

(Midorima decided this was a pretty good time to interrupt.)

((Not like it had anything to do with Takao or anything, nanodayo.))

"Inoue," Midorima called out, walking closer to her. She looked up, blinking before giving her usual smile with bright, blue eyes (that looks synonymous with the sky behind her, but she didn't need to know that).

"Hello, Midorima-kun," she greeted.

"Did you find a partner already?" He asked, getting to the point quickly. She blinked with a small smile, as if she didn't really process his words.

"Huh?"

Midorima sighed, his hand going up to tip his glasses up. "Don't make me repeat myself." (...nanodayo.)

Inoue tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowed. Midorima deadpanned - was it _that_ hard to process six words?

"I asked, did you find a partner already?" He said ( _it's a necessity, he really did not mean to repeat himself nanodayo_ ), his hand unintentionally clutching his pink sandal a little tighter.

She brightened, finally catching on the last train to understand what is happening. "No, I did not." _Finally_ , Midorima proceeded to ask what he really wanted to -

"Midorima-san, please be my partner for the project!" A girl with pigtails came forward.

(He did not notice how her shoulders slumped, as her gaze trailed back to the window, but only really resting on the sill instead of observing the happenings outside.)

Midorima scoffed irritably. "I already have a partner."

The girl with pigtails flushed. "A-Ah, I-I did not notice...sorry, Midorima-san..."

After the girl had gone, Midorima went back to regard the girl who had returned to observing the scenery outside, only her eyes following the basketball with decreasing interest.

"So, would you be my partner?" He asked forcefully, a little tired with how this had dragged on.

Inoue looked up in surprise. (What is there to be so surprised about?)

"But...you said you had a - "

"I meant you," he muttered. Red slowly rise up his neck as he realised the double meaning that was...not very subtle. "If you want to," he quickly remedied.

"It's not like I wanted you specifically or anything, but they were annoying, nanodayo." He pushed his glasses up, attempting to hide the blush he had failed to push down.

She was looking at him with those bright, shining eyes again...like the time he had corrected her test and given it back to her. A mixture of disbelief and gladness.

Her lips parted in slight awe. "R-Really? J-Just _me_ \- that's...fine?"

"I do recall that Yamamoto-sensei said that we are supposed to do this project in pairs..." He replied dryly.

"Y-Yes! Yes please! Please let me be your partner!" She replied with her fists balled up, conviction strong in her tone. Her blue eyes hardened in tenacity (that he had only seen when she tried to carry ten water bottles on her own).

"..." He tipped his glasses up. (Her eyes really matched the sky, but only...with a slightly darker tone which seem to emphasise the -)

"Huh?" The confused smile was back on. "What did you say, Midorima-kun?" Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if she was expecting him to say 'don't make me repeat myself' - yet she can't really figure it out.

Midorima flushed. _Crap- HE SAID IT OUT LOUD._

"I-It's not like I meant it or anything, nanodayo!" He all but yelled out, the pink sandal now being squeezed within an inch of its nonexistent life. She just blinked with that small, slightly befuddled smile.

"Okay," she acquiesced.

"Anyway," he coughed, trying to change the subject, "four in the afternoon tomorrow, at the library." He quickly walked away, hearing a faint assent.

(Well...that was embarrassing.)

 _((It didn't happen, nanodayo.))_


	15. Droplet Fifteen: Help

**Drabble Fifteen: Help**

* * *

"Where's your lucky item, Midorima-kun?" She asked curiously, looking up from the book she was poring over. He tipped his glasses, and gestured to the small cylinder on the table, blocked from her view by his pencil case. Her lips parted in awe. "Pink Paradise Lipstick, series #003? The limited edition one?"

He tipped his glasses up on its perch. "Man proposes, God disposes. I will definitely find my lucky item for the day, nanodayo."

She blinked, and ( _as expected_ ) gave him a small bland smile, like she understood ( _she did not_ ). ( _Well, it's better than Takao's stupid laugh._ )

"Okay," she easily acquiesced.

He pushed the worksheet to her. "You can start on task B. I'll work on task A first."

"Yessiree!" She beamed, taking the worksheet with her as she went into the deep recesses of the library. Silence engulfed his corner as he was left alone, scribbling notes on his notebook as he looked through his textbook. Time ticked by in the lazy, warm afternoon.

Midorima glanced at the clock hung on the wall. Almost thirty minutes have passed - yet Inoue have not returned. He sighed, pushing his glasses up.

 _Another five minutes_ , he compromised, _before I go looking for her. It should not take so long to find a book or two._

The minutes ticked by.

A thump.

Midorima snapped to attention, his body already out of the chair before he realise. He entered the narrow aisle between bookshelves, looking for a mop of brown hair that could tell him Inoue did not accidentally kill herself in the safe confines of a library. _A library_ , he thought dryly.

"...oww." The green-haired male turned, to see the familiar shade of brown. On the ground.

The body winced. Midorima let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Inoue," he started. "What are you doing?"

She looked up, and in the same moment their eyes met. A sheepish smile broke upon her lips, like she had not meant for anyone to find her looking like this.

"I tripped," she recited honestly, her blue eyes darting elsewhere to land on a black-covered book. "while reaching for that book." She beamed. "Isn't it great that I got it now, Midorima-kun?"

...

(He _really_ had no answer for that.)

Letting out a breath, Midorima bent down to pick up the book. "Next time, if you can't reach it, just ask me to get it." He muttered.

A second passed as a rustle sounded. Inoue smiled, but it was not the usual one.

"I can do something as simple as that, Midorima-kun." She stood up and dusted off her uniform, her small hands reaching out to grasp the book that Midorima was holding in his hands.

He said nothing as she stood up, turning to the small stack of books behind her that he had not seen earlier.

She glanced back, her arms full of books, just as he rose to his full height. Her smile was back. (But...maybe it was the darkening sky behind her that made it seem all the more melancholic.)

"Help...is scarce, after all." She turned to walk back, her last words lingering in his mind.

 _"It's something...that I cannot accept just yet."_


	16. Droplet Sixteen: Potential

**Drabble Sixteen: Potential**

* * *

Inoue truly is bad at biology, but it could be better if she could just stop dozing off. (It's not that he didn't want to wake her up, but she has dark circles under her eyes...which means she did not get enough sleep which is bad for health, nanodayo.)

Her eyelids fluttered open.

"Finally awake, Inoue?" He prompted. A rosy red colour rose up her cheeks, signifying her embarrassment at being caught falling asleep.

"Sorry," she muttered, going back to work. They were almost done with the project, but more often than not, she dozed off in intervals. Midorima couldn't help but wonder if refilling water bottles was very hard on her.

"We are almost done," he started, "why don't you check over the report?"

Her sleep-dazed eyes followed the lines of the report pushed to her sluggishly. Midorima went back to his own work, attacking the questions fervently.

"Midorima-kun," she muttered after a few minutes, "in the report, it is said that mongooses are affected by the weather...but it is not specified that that particular species has any relation to the main food chain we are focusing on."

Midorima looked up, slight surprise showing through his features. "Oh?" He got the report over. "That was careless of me," he quickly corrected it, the scribbles of his pen the only thing keeping the girl's head from hitting the table in its soft nods to sleep.

It was a mistake that he had overlooked. Turns out Inoue was not that bad at biology...

"Midorima-kun," she started again, her head now against the wall as she tried to keep awake. (Why was she so tired?)

"Yes?" He humoured her with a reply.

She blinked blearily. "Humans are a very big part of environment. Throughout the report, you had not mentioned..." She yawned. "anything about humans." Her hand came up to rub at her eyes.

His eyes widened. _Crap, so that was what was missing._

"Don't consider humans above the environment, Midorima-kun," she said sleepily, "because we are as fragile and weak, if not more so...than any tree or plant out there. Natural selection had only ensured our survival to date...who knows what will happen." She blinked rapidly, her eyelids seeming too heavy to hold up for her.

 _Okay, this is official_ , Midorima decided, _she is not bad at biology._

"Is there anything you noticed?" The scribbles of pen filled the air.

"Carbon monoxide is poisonous and when humans take them in, it cause shortness of breath, headaches and even death, when the concentration is high..." Midorima paused.

"Where is that going to be in the report?" He inquired, genuinely interested.

"..." She paused a little, like her brain couldn't quite catch up and process what he said. "Under environment," she finally answered. "We are part of the environment."

A corner of Midorima's lips tilted up in amusement. Right, they were. Why had he not thought of it?

As the sound of pen scratching paper filled the air, Midorima glanced up at the girl's peaceful, sleeping face as she leaned against the pillar.

( _He realised he wouldn't mind getting used to this._ )


	17. Drabble Seventeen: Hope

**Drabble Seventeen: Hope**

* * *

"Natsuki-chan! What the hell - oh lord. I was too late, wasn't I?" Takao tsk-ed, settling down on the stone bench she was perched on, her fingers running gentle circles around a forming bruise at the side of her knee.

"You weren't late," she smiled brightly, "you are here now." Takao regarded her bright expression with scorn and sadness, the former receding as the owner could not bear to express anger at the girl.

"Natsuki-chan... This can't go on." Takao started.

"Takao-kun," a warning edge entered her tone. "Don't start that again." She muttered, her eyes focused on the bruise.

"Well, I am being serious about it!" His volume rose. "This is cowardice in its finest, ugliest act! It has to stop - " his voice softened. "you are not supposed to suffer all of this. No one deserves this." A short silence ensued, until it was broken by a jingle of a bell - a bittersweet laughter, like Natsuki genuinely found it funny.

"Man proposes, God disposes, Takao-kun," she said. "Perhaps this is what fate have always deigned for me." Takao made to protest, but the smile on her face told him that _it's enough_.

 _At least for today_ , he thought angrily. _He would catch them. Those people who bullies innocent people for the sake of it -_

 _Who leaves them broken. Just for the fun of it._

"Don't start quoting Shin-chan now," he muttered half-heartedly back in reply, slumping back down in his seat. Laughter just rang out from his companion.

"I find Midorima-kun interesting." She smiled brightly, her face tilted to the darkening sky (that almost - _almost_ represented her days). Natsuki tilted her head. "I wonder...if he would be opposed to going against fate."

...That gave Takao a spark of idea, a little glimmer of hope...that he could help this poor innocent girl who took what she can and gave what she could not.

Takao smirked. "He won't be, Natsuki-chan." He replied cheerily.

"He's doing his own battle against fate everyday...in the form of his ridiculous lucky items, of course." Takao ruffled her hair, and Natsuki yelped softly in a form of protest.

"What do you think of Shin-chan, Natsuki-chan?" He asked casually. Natsuki blinked curiously up at him, tilting her head in a thoughtful motion.

Then a radiant smile burst upon her lips.

"Midorima-kun?" She grinned, like she had the perfect answer. "He's like...a warrior against fate." Her smile softened.

"He gives me hope...that maybe fighting back is worth it."


	18. Droplet Eighteen: Story

**Drabble Eighteen: Story**

* * *

There were many things which could heighten her clumsiness, Natsuki mused one day. But most were external factors. Only one ever was a legit internal one.

...

She knows it before it even comes. The pounding of her head that will cease all her ability to move and heighten her clumsiness.

Natsuki settled herself down by the couch with a worn book resting precariously by the edge of the comfortable couch. She scoured the coffee table, making sure that it was neat and the bottle that will perhaps prevent any and all mishaps is placed within reasonable reach.

Sighing, she flips open the book she had read a thousand times over. _Stay happy_ , she recited, _be brave._ That was what it meant to be an Inoue after all. She smiled at the family picture that was one of the many decorations in the cold apartment.

"Once upon a time," she started in a clear voice without even looking at the book, "there was a princess." She had memorised it long, long ago after all. Back when her parents were still here with her.

Natsuki glanced down at the drawing illustrated on the yellowed page, but determinately stared away from the words. "She loved to pick flowers." Her eyes assumed a thoughtful glint as she tried to come up with different variations to the same story again.

"But one day, a witch appeared, and made all the flowers disappear." She pouted. This was turning out to sound like the 1038th variation.

"So the princess tried to pick up another hobby. Which was...knitting." She turned the page to see an illustration of a witch.

"But the witch made all the needles disappear, and the princess went to find yet another hobby." Okay, now _this_ was new.

"She wanted to learn to cook, and she did, but not for long, as the witch made all the ingredients disappear when she touched them." She turned the yellowed page, feeling the beginnings of a pounding coming, a thin invisible barrier blocking the flood just yet.

"Angered, the princess turned to the witch. 'Why?' She asked, 'why do you impede what I like to do?'" Her nimble fingers flipped the page, her eyes taking in the words but not registering them. The colours reflected and clashed and harmonised in her blue eyes as she sighed contently.

"Confused, the witch replied, 'I wanted to protect you. The flowers were bringing you outdoors to where dangers lay in the form of thievery and abduction." She said quietly. "The needles were going to destroy your beautiful hands to turn their products into a semblance that will be once of your beauty.

"And cooking will ruin your unblemished hands that knows no rough work.' Indeed, it is protection at its finest..." Natsuki's face soured, and she closed the book, her hands coming up to massage her temples.

It came full force at her in the form of a pound on her head, leaving her gasping for breath, hunched over. The migraine settled in soon enough as black spots dotted her eyes. Natsuki struggled to reach for the bottle of medicine she had settled on the coffee table beforehand - but it seem so, so far away now.

Her frontal lobe felt clear enough - it was better than most times when she would fall into a dead faint on the way home or while doing laundry, but it was attacking her occipital lobe with such viciousness that she had to suspect it was the room that was turning, not her.

Another pound. She gasped, her hand grasping the bottle. Natsuki shakily unscrewed it, her nimble fingers turning numb and her vision seemingly obstructed by an opaque curtain.

She tried to get a few pills out, but managed to upturn the entire bottle in the moment. Natsuki resisted the groan which nearly escaped her lips - from both the pain and the mishap. Making sounds would only make the urge to scream from the pain even stronger, which will not help. The book clattered to the ground with a soft thud as her elbow made contact with it.

Through haze filled eyes and the lump in her throat and the _painpainpain_ in her skull, the brown-haired girl's hand reached out of the book instead.

But dark curtains fell over her eyes as soon as her knees made in contact with the cold, hard floor.


	19. Droplet Nineteen: Migraine

**Drabble Nineteen: Migraine**

 **A/N: I'm so sorry! Readers pointed out to me that I misuploaded a chapter (16). It's Droplet Sixteen: Potential. So sorry! I replaced the chapter now, please read it. Thank you to lily (anonymous) and KenzieFF for telling me! And thank you to all for your support thus far. :)**

* * *

"Are you feeling okay, Natsuki-chan? Do you want to lie down for awhile more?" Her landlady asked, hovering around anxiously. She managed a weak smile, shaking her head, then deciding it was a bad idea as the receding pounding came back and stopped.

Kitagawa, the landlady, only frowned in disapproval as she struggled to get her shoes on.

"What did the doctors say this time?" She tried a different approach to the subject. The bubbly girl just smiled.

"As usual, Kitagawa-san," she replied mildly. "You know it will always be this way. Take the pills when you feel them coming - keep walking if you feel like fainting, go into the shade as and when it is possible, don't stay in the rain for too long, don't get sick..." She recited out with a playful roll of her eyes and an infectious smile. No matter how serious the situation, the old landlady still cracked a smile.

Then a worried tint coloured her eyes once more. "You have to be more careful, okay, Natsuki-chan?" She berated lightly. Natsuki just laughed, finally pulling on her last shoe.

"It's fine," she replied softly. "It's expected already."

"Even so..." Kitagawa frowned in contemplation. "You've had this condition since young, but...the doctor suggested more rest from school and work - "

"You know that's not possible, Kitagawa-san," she laughed like it was a joke. "I still have to support myself."

Kitagawa's eyes softened, and she went to put her arms around the girl's shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. "You poor girl," she said, "if only Koichi-san and - "

"Kitagawa-san," Natsuki pulled away slightly. "It's okay," she said, like she had for a thousand times. "It's okay," she reiterated softly, this time more to herself than anything.

( _Because mentioning her parents won't change anything. Because bringing anyone into this won't help. She have to do this herself - she is supposed to do this herself...and not be a burden once again._

 _Be a burden...and cause everyone to be hurt again._ )

"I have to go to work soon, Kitagawa-san," she started cheerily. "Good thing it's a weekend, hm?" She skipped off the bed and hid a wince from her pounding head, going out of the medical examination room. Her landlady only sighed, with how well she knew the girl.

Natsuki nodded politely at some nurses and beamed at a few children in the lobby on the way out. Her even pace stopped when she sighted a small flower shop just by the hospital entrance.

"A violet hyacinth, please," she enunciated with a bright smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. The counter girl quickly brought her what she wanted and soon, Natsuki was on her way with the flower.

She cradled it close, a soft sigh escaping her slightly parted lips.

"Tou-san, Kaa-san... I miss you..."


	20. Droplet Twenty: Aroma

**Drabble Twenty: Aroma**

* * *

"Inter...High?" Natsuki tilted her head curiously, and Midorima averted his eyes simply because he did not want to be the one to explain. Too often had he been faced with that curious-tilt-of-the-head, and he thinks that it is time for Takao to take up the job with some dignity.

"Yeah!" (He really did.) Takao gestured wildly. "It's this really big national basketball competition!" He grinned excitedly, a sharp edge entering his eyes. "I am so excited!" As easily influenced by the atmosphere around, Midorima could almost _feel_ her excitement level go up too.

"Heh, it's very important to you then, Takao-kun!" She beamed. "I wish you all the best with it! Midorima-kun, too." She directed her brilliant smile at him, and Midorima only tipped his glasses up.

Natsuki giggled at his response. Her attention was quickly diverted to Takao when he started speaking again.

" _So-o_ , Natsuki-chan, I got a ticket for you!" Takao grinned so widely that his motive had all but spilled on the floor. But the girl remained oblivious, her wonderful blink and small, puzzled smile telling Takao she had no idea what he's up to.

Takao sighed dramatically. "I got you a ticket to our match, Natsuki-chan." He waved a slip of paper in front of her face, and her lips formed an 'o' in slight wonder and surprise.

"For me?" She wondered. "But why?"

Takao smirked. "My dear, dear Natsuki-chan," and he inched very much closer to the girl, going as far as to put his arm around the girl's shoulder. "Of course it is to watch our match!" Midorima wondered if he had actually felt the exasperation included when explaining things to the girl who always was rushing for the last train to understand what's happening.

"Eh?" She burst out.

"Well, since you are a _very_ dear friend of Shin-chan and a very precious companion of mine," he ruffled the girl's brown hair at that, "of course you have to be present for our match to cheer for us."

"I do not need psychological support, nanodayo," Midorima interjected.

(He had no reason to deny that Inoue was his friend - it was the sort of, if-you-died-I-would-go-to-your-funeral type of relation, but Takao said that it's counted nontheless.)

The girl hummed, scanning the ticket held in front of her, then nodded with a bright smile. "Ah! I think I can make it."

"That's a good girl!" Takao said cheerily. "Now just remember to get there on time and grab a front row seat. You'll have a good show." He winked.

"Basketball practice is starting soon - " Takao's tone had a worried tint to it. "Ya' sure you can get to the Science Society room on your own?" (Midorima almost scoffed at the thought of her needing an escort - then again, she might just trip and break her neck at the stairs, and he would very much like not to go to a funeral when the exams are drawing near.)

((So yes, Takao's worry is justified. It doesn't mean Midorima is worried though, nanodayo.))

Natsuki beamed. "Of course I can, Takao-kun! You should quickly go on with Midorima-kun."

Takao grumbled something, then decided on making it intelligible. "I am still worried. Let Shin-chan accompany you upstairs. I have set-up duty so I have ta' go first. See you later!" Takao darted away after sending a suggestive wink to Midorima, who brushed it off with a scoff.

The pair stood there in silence for awhile, until Natsuki angled her head to face Midorima. Her lips stretched into a smile. "You don't have to if you don't want to, Midorima-kun. In fact, you should go to practice soon...right?" Her concerned tone did nothing to affect the decision that the male had already made as he continued the trek to the stairwell. When he realised she was not following, he turned and inclined his head.

"Coming?" He asked smoothly. Natsuki stood in her spot, blinking for a few seconds as if she couldn't believe he wanted to walk her up (no, he did not _want_ to, it was a really bad necessity to prevent his grades from dropping from an unconventional funeral).

"U-Un!" She quickly caught up, surpassing him to reach the stairwell, her brown hair flowing behind her. Midorima felt his grip on his book bag strap tighten. A whiff of aroma caught his attention as she flew past him, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Let's go, - " "Hyacinth." He muttered.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw the girl stiffen a little. Then she turned around with a curious look on her face. Red rose up his cheeks when he realised - _HE HAD SAID IT OUT LOUD AGAIN._

"You recognise that flower?" A smile tugged at the ends of her lips.

He forced the red rising up his neck down and looked elsewhere - anywhere but her.

"Obviously I do, nanodayo," he replied, walking past her and catching that familiar whiff again, this time identifying it to be the smell of violet hyacinth. Different colours of hyacinths has different smell...his megalomaniac of a sister who loves flowers had managed to rope him into reading those flower reference books to her as bedtime stories since she was six...apparently it was a global unspoken rule for girls to like flowers.

(Why? Does she like hyacinths? Violet ones?)

Natsuki just smiled, quickly catching up. A rustle of plastic bag, and said flower appeared in front of him. Natsuki's face popped up from behind the flower she pushed to him.

"Do you want one?" She didn't wait for a reply as she placed the small flower in his blazer pocket, a small, gentle smile on her face. "There, there," she grinned at the small bud, "you're all settled with your new owner."

"I didn't say I would accept, nanodayo." Midorima said. "But thank you." His eyes drifted down to the purple bud resting in his blazer pocket. His eyes went back to meet her blue eyes - only they didn't quite meet as her eyes were fixed on the small flower she had placed there, a small, unmistakably melancholic smile on her face.

"It's okay," she replied softly, this time her eyes trailing slowly up to meet his. And Midorima realised how _close_ they actually were - but too surprised at the un-Inoue type smile that Natsuki had on to react much. (It was almost like Takao being serious and not joking around for an hour.) He noted how short she was as well - only reaching somewhere to his chest.

"Take it as payment, Midorima-kun," (payment for _what_?) (( _for the future trouble I would most likely cause you, but of course,_ Natsuki thought)), "can I ask a favour from you?"

He was suddenly aware that his mouth felt dry, but he forced his voice out to answer her soft inquiry anyway.

"It depends," he croaked out, softly, to match her volume.

 _Why does she seem so close?_

(Why doesn't he -...never mind.)

She fell silent, and for a split moment Midorima was afraid she would break their eye contact. But it stayed - strongly, as if they were glued. He could see his reflection in the girl's eye. He swallowed, feeling the prominent dryness of his throat receding a little.

(Dehydration...is...very...bad.)

Then her eyes trailed downwards, and her smile drooped further, like she couldn't bring herself to maintain it. Natsuki drew further away, and Midorima let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. No female had been that physically close to him before - except his little sister and mother, of course - but this was a first...! Midorima felt blood rise up his collarbone, and he quickly averted his eyes elsewhere.

"It's okay," Natsuki said, "never mind the favour." She smiled indulgently, and Midorima then realised that _yes, he is seeing a different side of the girl who refilled water bottles during breaks and could do biology if she tried_.

"But... I am curious," her back was to him - just a few meters away. "Do you...think of me as a friend?"

Midorima stilled. Well... Takao did say... He chanced a glance at her back, taking in her frail shoulders and wavy brown hair cascading down her back.

(He figured she needed this answer. It really had the lesser part to do with him, nanodayo.)

"I guess you could call us that," Midorima acquiesced.

A moment of silence ensued, for so long that Midorima got worried if she heard him at all, and was actually still waiting for his answer.

"...then that's more than enough." She muttered as a reply, stalking her way up the stairs. He blinked, a little dumbfounded at the sudden dismissal of the unusually serious conversation.

"You don't have to send me up, Midorima-kun. I'll see you tomorrow at biology." She smiled - the usual smile, but _why does it feel...wrong, somehow?_ \- at him before heading up the second flight of stairs.

Midorima stayed standing there for a moment longer, trying to comprehend what had happened.

(What did she meant by, it is _'more than enough'_?)


	21. Droplet Twenty-One: Excess

**Drabble Twenty-One: Excess**

* * *

"Takao-kun?" Natsuki blinked at the black-haired male who was greedily drinking up a whole lake worth of water at the water cooler. His eyes glanced up to take in the brown-haired girl who had water bottles hanging off her and in her arms. He quickly straightened, a grin coming up his face as he held out his hands.

"Natsuki-chan, yo! Come 'ere, lemme help you," he snitched a few bottles over from her arms, lightening her load.

A grateful smile came up her face. "Thank you, Takao-kun!"

"Heh, no problemo. Just put it in my arms here... Woah," Takao tightened his hold over the ten odd bottles in his arms as he tried to balance them. His silver eyes came up to scan Natsuki for any bruise or injuries while she started refilling the bottle, unaware of what he is doing.

"Natsuki-chan..."

"Hm?" She tilted her head, her full attention on him. He shifted, still feeling the slight adrenaline rush from the practice before.

"Are they still bothering you?" She blinked, then her eyes went back to the bottle, dutifully capping it and placing it on the ground before fetching another empty one from his arms. Natsuki's lips stretched up into a smile as she kept silent.

Takao twitched, clearly not satisfied with her non-reply. Natsuki continued what she was doing, her smile the only indication that she heard his question.

And he knew that those bunch of _fucking cowards_ are still doing shit to who he now knows as _his friend_.

"They are, aren't they?" He muttered in a low voice. Her smile dimmed a little, but her lips were still sealed. Takao knows why she isn't saying anything - there was once she tried to lie...but she failed epically. The twitching of fingers, the aversion of eyes and the shifting of foot - they gave her away as plain as day.

That's why the girl probably decided to stop lying - and keep her mouth shut. Which was more infuriating!

Takao sighed. "I promised not to tell anyone, but this is getting ridiculous, Natsuki-chan."

She pouted. "You promised," she muttered, her hands going down to put another bottle down and get another from his arms.

"I did," Takao acquiesced, "but this is really..."

"You don't have to do anything."

"How can I not?" He protested. She shook her head mutely, her eyes going down to stare intently at the water bottle. Takao paused for a few seconds.

"I am your friend," he started. She blinked curiously at him, then nodded hesitantly with a small smile, as if she was confused if it was a question of statement he said.

"And I know about your plaguing problem in school," he said. She yelped as the bottle in her hand overflowed, and quickly capped it up.

"Yes...you do," she replied, squatting to put the bottle down, then getting up to grab a bottle from Takao's arms again.

"Shin-chan is your friend," Takao grinned at this. She started chewing on her bottom lip, then nodded hesitantly. Natsuki then caught on, surprisingly quick.

"You can't tell him!" She blurted out, and Takao inched back in surprise at her sudden outburst. His eyes narrowed.

"Hey, Natsuki-chan, it's only fair if he knows!" She adamantly shook her head.

"No! Takao-kun...you found out by accident...it's not counted."

"If you are worried about what Shin-chan will do - "

"No - I - " she clamped up, and turned back to the water bottle with furrowed eyebrows, capping it with new found viciousness. Just as Takao was about to speak, Natsuki interrupted. "Takao-kun, I... I can't say I understand your concern," she admitted. "This is my problem, and I am supposed to deal with it myself... Nobody was supposed to know. Midorima-kun," she paused her eyes getting a faraway look in it.

She smiled.

"It's more than enough," she uttered, "for him to be my friend."

Her blue eyes locked him in his place. "It's also more than enough...having Takao-kun as a friend. So please, don't..." She let out a chuckle, the heel of her palm going up to press against her tearing eye. "Don't tell anybody."

Takao felt his shoulders slump, and the battle lost again. He cradled the bottles carefully in one arm, the other going up to pat the girl on her head.

"You are like an idiotic sister I never had," he admitted.

She smiled tearfully. "...That's more than enough."

His heart panged, for the small girl who didn't know how to defend herself, how to help herself... who would have a twisted image of a _warrior against fate_ as _Midorima Shintaro_ of all people.

Just to break the heavy atmosphere, Takao forced a goofy grin with effort. "Hey, Natsuki-chan, if Shin-chan is a warrior against fate, who am I?"

She blinked at the sudden question, her eyes acquiring a thoughtful glaze. Takao's arm went back to steady the water bottles in his arms.

Natsuki beamed. "I wonder too."

Takao gawped. "What?! How can Shin-chan have such a cool title and... _I have none_?!" He slid to the ground in a dramatic heap. "No...no!" Takao groaned, lowering his head in denial.

 _"TAKAO! WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE? GET BACK TO THE GYM!"_

In shock, Takao dropped all of the bottles, yelping at the familiar voice of his captain. Right, he had been out for too long now...

"Hurry and go back, Takao-kun," Natsuki made a shoo-shoo action, a concerned glint entering her eyes. "Sorry for holding you up," she apologised. Takao straightened the bottles in record time.

"No, no," he hurriedly replied as he got up. "Sorry for not being able to help you. Be careful, Natsuki-chan!" He quickly ran off, wincing as he heard his captain yelling something again.

"I will..." She tilted her head curiously at his fast exit, like she couldn't believe his speed. A soft smile adorned the girl's face.

"Thank you, Takao-kun."

* * *

Takao twirled the pencil in his hand expertly, giving it life and letting it do circus tricks. Unbeknownst to him, a girl sighed dreamily as she stared at the little tricks he did with the pencil while staring into space.

He frowned slightly. The problem that Natsuki is facing is making him feel very... _uncomfortable_. How could anyone with a conscience do _that_ to someone? Much less a _girl_? But for some godforsaken reason, the girl in question evaded his attempts in trying to help, adamantly sticking to the idea that it is _her_ problem.

Oh, _no_ , Takao wasn't going to let it rest like this. He did have a streak of justice within him, especially after seeing the unlikely friendship between his teammate and that girl...

(Oh, he is _so_ going to help.)

That seem to light an idea within the black-haired male, which allowed a huge grin to spread across his face as his stopped the pencil's movements.

' _Right, I have to somehow get Shin-chan in this_.'


	22. Droplet Twenty-Two: Work

**Drabble Twenty-Two: Work**

* * *

Her work schedule was plain ridiculous, and anyone with eyes could see it. But she never complained, so they didn't bring it up as often. This was just one of the days where Ming'e felt that she had to bring it up.

" _Xiaxi_!" Ming'e admonished. "What did you just say? Your _exams_ don't matter?"

Natsuki tilted her head in question, then smiled slightly. "I didn't... I just said that it's fine to carry on with my usual work schedule."

Ming'e pressed her lips in a line. "That's as good as saying you're giving up on this term's exams! High school students like you should just stay at home and study around this time." The apron-wearing girl slipped a tray of colourful cupcakes into the display cabinet. She pulled her gloves off and adjusted her bandana, which had the words "Sugar To Sweets" sewed on it.

"Hm... I don't know." She replied cheerfully. "See - Mura-kun and Himuro-kun are still coming over every weekend!"

Said customer of the sweets shop raised his head lazily, the curtain of purple hair rising from the cake he had been savouring. Himuro on the other hand only smiled politely.

"We come over everyday, Natsu-chin..." The purple-haired giant corrected in a drawl.

Ming'e frowned. "That's not the point!" Natsuki burst into one of her infectious, twinkling laugh.

"There's nothing to worry about, Ming-san." She assured the older lady. "It's all going fine," her smile fell slightly, like she couldn't believe she had just said that. The brown-haired girl then rushed into the kitchen with the parting words of retrieving some sweets for the display cabinet. Ming'e let her frown drop as she scanned the cabinet.

( _But it's full._ )

"Ming-chin, I want Natsu-chin's tart..." Her head snapped up to attention with a ready smile on her face that was reserved for customers.

"Coming right up!" She retrieved the strawberry tart and left the counter, placing the plate of sweets in front of the purple-haired giant. Himuro thanked her politely with a charming smile, and the Chinese woman waved it off, half her mind still preoccupied with her younger co-worker.

Said co-worker was already at the cashier, her bright and sunny attitude affecting the few middle school boys who came in (as usual). "That would be four hundred and fifty yen! Thank you!"

Ming'e waited until the last of the boys reluctantly trail off from the bubbly cashier girl. Natsuki turned, ready to head into the kitchen when she caught sight of the older woman staring at her.

"Ming-san...? Is there something wrong?" The usual tilt of her head and tint of concern clouded her blue eyes. The older woman allowed a small smile to cross her face.

"Say, Xiaxi... Are you really doing well in school? Do you need any help?" She asked worriedly. Ming'e had always been worried of the girl, especially since she had to travel all the way to Akita just to work at one of Sugar To Sweets branch every weekend. It became more worrisome when she came with bruises and cuts she tried very, very hard to hide.

(The poor girl refused to say anything about it, even when confronted.

But who the _hell_ trips to get a hundred different bruises on their body?)

Natsuki blinked, surprised. Then a grateful smile erupted on her lips.

"No, Ming-san, it's fine," she said cheerfully, "school is great! I even made some friends!" Ming'e arched an eyebrow.

"Oh?" She smiled, slightly relieved. She had never heard Natsuki talk about her friends (or having any friend at all).

She nodded enthusiastically. "It's Midorima-kun and Takao-kun, you see..." She trailed off as she entered the kitchen, Ming'e following after her.

( _It is great_ , the Chinese woman decided, _to hear Natsuki bubbling excitedly like a small girl about her new friends._

 _It is great...really great, that is, for a broken girl who lost her parents at a young age._ )

* * *

A/N: If anyone's curious, Ming'e (明鹅) is Chinese. She calls Natsuki the Chinese equivalent of how one reads her kanji: Natsuki = 夏希. It's read as Xia Xi.


	23. Droplet Twenty-Three: Studying

**Drabble Twenty-Three: Studying**

* * *

"Good afternoon, Midorima-kun!" She smiled brightly. Midorima held in his flinch - he hadn't expected to see anyone at his usual, secluded seat in the library. But he supposed it's reasonable that she knows - they did the biology project together at the very spot after all.

"Good afternoon," he replied - a bit curtly - but her smile only turned... _sweeter_ , as if she's glad that at least he made a sound. Midorima slid into the seat opposite hers, like the times they had done the project. A pink raccoon plush toy was then placed carefully at the side.

Midorima's eyes flickered up to Natsuki, but she had already returned to her work. His arm twitched for his pen - to start work, do something, and not just stare blatantly at his friend - but he found himself faltering when he spotted a pin, holding her thick wavy brown hair behind her right ear.

A small, dainty clip that's shaped like a wavy line, with pricks and leaf-like shapes extending out. He would almost say it's like a rose's stem, only it was black in colour.

Natsuki's eyebrows furrowed, and the pink pencil went to tap on the spot near her bottom lip, as he saw many times.

...

(He likes people-watching. He also likes it when she smiles. And when her eyebrows furrow in confusion. And when her small dimples make themselves known. And when he sees the wonder in her eyes and the -)

"Midorima-kun?" Those blue eyes were suddenly looking at him. Midorima turned ten shades of red.

( _whaa - why - STARING - WHAT THINKING WHAT)_

His eyes quickly flicked down to his notebook as he roughly flipped it open. Her twinkling laughter reached his ears, and he gripped his pencil tightly.

( _Oh what the hell_

 _He decided he likes her laugh too._ )

((It's normal for friends to like aspects of each other. After all, how can two become friends when they don't have something they like of each other?))

"What were you staring at, Midorima-kun?" She inquired cheerfully.

(Well, he couldn't possibly reply ' _you_ ', could he.)

"N-Nothing, nanodayo." He pushed his glasses up and quickly scribbled something. Her smile dimmed a little in amusement, before her eyes returned to her own notebooks. Midorima couldn't help it - _he really couldn't -_

And two minutes later, he found himself studying the stark contrast of the hairpin and her bright blue eyes. The hairpin just gave the bubbly girl a different feel...

( _Mature_ , his mind supplied non-too helpfully, making Midorima burst into another shade of embarrassed red which he suppressed...to avail.)

She looks mature. More so than before, he realised.

"...Inoue," he spoke up. She averted her eyes from the textbook, tucking a brown strand behind her ear. Natsuki smiled.

"Hm?"

"What is your star sign?" She blinked, then smiled a little apologetically. "I don't follow those, so I have no idea. Sorry, Midorima-kun..." She trailed off, then brightened up with a small beam. "But, my birthday is March 14, if it helps!" She grinned.

"Pisces, then," the green-haired male pushed up his glasses as he muttered expertly, averting his gaze from her bright grin.

(Pisces, well, it kind of makes a lot of sense.)

"Is there a matter?" Natsuki asked curiously.

Midorima only smiled secretly as he lowered his head, focusing his eyes on the neat words on his notebook.

"No," he replied quietly.

(Their smiles are the brightest, after all.)

((Not even Cancers are immune to it.))

Midorima tries to deny the light lifting of his heart - no, _just something inside_ \- when he sees her there, in the same spot a week later at the same time.


	24. Droplet Twenty-Four: Revelation

**Drabble Twenty-Four: Revelation**

 **A/N: Yes, I really am going to make 99 chapters...hopefully, anyway. Enjoy!**

* * *

" _What_ , 'dayo?" Midorima said, annoyed. Takao had been trying to get him to go to the water cooler with him for the past five minutes. For Oha-Asa's sake, he's sixteen, not six! Surely Takao can handle going to refill his water bottle _alone_.

"Come with me!" Takao insisted.

Midorima resisted the urge to roll his eyes because it simply isn't the way he does things. ( _Whatever_ , he grudgingly thought, _I need to refill my bottle anyway._ )

He grabbed his bottle and lucky item (a paper fan with sakura patterns on it) silently before gesturing half-heartedly to the captain and stalking out of the hall, followed closely by Takao.

" _Oho_! I knew you would go!" Takao grinned. Midorima tipped his glasses up with an annoyed flick of his eyes towards the black-haired male.

"I just wanted to refill my water bottle, nanodayo." He denied. They reached the water cooler with minimal bickering. Takao fell silent as he glanced around, his eyes unusually sharp (outside of court, he rarely uses his Eagle Eye).

"Shin-chan," he started.

Midorima, however, did not take notice of how out-of-place Takao was acting, instead, refilling his water bottle.

"What?" Only then did the green-haired male pick up that his partner was being unusual. Silence didn't stand a chance against Takao on a good day. But only with silence, did Midorima's ears pick up the godforsaken sound of flesh hitting flesh and soft mutters down the hallway. His green eyes flickered to Takao, only to see that the black-haired male was tense like a spring.

It wasn't a secret around that bullying still existed in high schools today, even in prestigious schools such as Shuutoku. But this was the first time Midorima had ever encountered it himself - and he didn't want anything to do with it. He wasn't a justice hero, for goodness sake.

"You hear that?" Without waiting for an affirmation from Midorima, Takao continued. "Can you go check it out?"

Midorima bristled, turning back to the water cooler. "Why should I? They don't concern me."

Takao furrowed his eyebrows, and his eyes hardened as he made a harsh grab at Midorima's water bottle, splashing water on the ground. Midorima looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes at the sudden attack.

" _Just go_ ," Takao insisted, almost like a plea. The green-haired basketball player was a little put-off - _why the hell is Takao acting like that all of a sudden?_ Then again, he was in a pretty compromising mood already - but if this was a prank done by Takao, Midorima will see that the Eagle-Eye User knows he will pay dearly through his sore leg muscles from pedalling.

"Fine," Midorima relented (partly due to the steel in his partner's eyes), letting his grip on his water bottle loosen as he turned and walked towards the source of noise.

(Midorima didn't hear the soft 'thanks' uttered by Takao - but that was what he intended for, anyway.)

As he got closer, the muffled sounds became clearer, and so do the words spoken.

"...you bitch...don't...need some beating up!"

"...not learned your lesson, huh?"

"Always trying to...think...pretty?"

Midorima furrowed his eyebrows, feeling this strange compulsion to walk faster - faster - _fas_ -

He turned the corner, only to see five students (a clear mix of both genders), standing over a blob of brown and black. A foreboding sense washed over him when he spotted some water bottles strewn on the ground, clearly knocked over.

(But the only one who he knows that brings around so many water bottles -)

"Hm," a hand grabbed at the bullied's brown hair roughly to pull her up, clearly surprising- and hurting the person so much that she let out a choked scream. "She actually has quite a pretty face, now that you say it." A hand reached out to grapple at the girl's ( _a girl, it's a girl_ ) chin to force her to look at him. The bully grinned widely.

"Well, I would definitely like to have a go with her...if only she wasn't so filthy," choruses of laughter rang out in the group, and Midorima saw red when he caught a glimpse of the blue, _blue_ teary eyes from the gaps between the bodies.

Midorima strode over purposefully, landing a hand heavily on one of the guys. The person jerked back with a ready glare to whoever dared interrupt him - only to meet angry emerald irises spitting fire at him. He backed off with a yelp, alerting the others to his presence.

Midorima _loomed_ over the five bullies, his eyes narrowed. " _What_ , exactly, are you _doing_?"

The tense atmosphere had one of the more idiotic of the bunch speak up. "Cleansing filth from the school, as you can see," he puffed out his chest in pride, followed by cowering when the green-eyed monster reared its head at him.

"I think the real filth here is you," he replied stoically, and the subject of his insult flinched. "What- _you_!"

Midorima raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to say anymore.

"T-Tanauchi, let go. There's no point arguing with him," one of the smarter of the bunch enunciated carefully, then darted away. The rest of the bunch followed dutifully, all elbowing each other to get the furthest away from the one-ninety-five centimetres tall basketball player - who looked _severely_ pissed.

Once the last had disappeared, Midorima turned back to the small ball of misery sitting on the ground. Mud caked her hair - not at all blending in with her hair colour -, face and uniform, almost like someone had poured a container of mud over her head. Knowing what just happened, it may very well be the case.

Natsuki mustered a smile at the green-haired male, but it soon fell in the silence, as she gulped in air noticeably. But it was too late to prevent it, and the first tear slid down her cheek.

"I- I am sorry-" she sniffed, "I am sorry, Midorima-kun, for letting you see me in such a pathetic state... I am sorry, I am sorry, _I am sorry_ -" she blubbered on between the sniffing. Midorima wordlessly squatted down, and brought a handkerchief out, almost like he was used to it. He dotted her cheeks, wiping the smudges of mud away. Natsuki fell silent, staring into the green eyes of the person who helped her- the supposed warrior against fate.

He never met her eyes until he deemed himself finished with the clearing of her face from dirt and tears.

"Mi- Midorima-kun...?" She started quietly, her voice almost weary and tired. "Why...did you help me?"

Midorima folded his handkerchief, feeling a weirdly out-of-place calm wash over him. His sister had always gotten dirty playing in the garden, and he was used to helping her clean her face before taking her into the house in the evening - he really didn't know what came over him to do the same to Inoue.

But the answer to this question was clear. "Are you an idiot, nanodayo? I wouldn't stand by when my friend is being treated so unfairly."

She clearly lighted up a bit with how he had so clearly stated they were friends - but her shoulders fell. "What if I wasn't treated unfairly then, Midorima-kun? ...what if, I really _was_ filth?"

He tensed irrevocably at that - his eyes seeming to darken as he recalled what had happened just moments ago. "You are not filth."

Her blue eyes hesitantly flickered up to meet his green ones - "Y-You won't regret helping someone like me, Midori-"

"No," he cut her off, "don't say things like that, nanodayo. You're my friend, Inoue. I don't do things that I will regret," he added quietly.

Without giving her time to reply, he stood up. "Can you walk? Nurse Emi can help you clean up."

He offered a hand to help her up (as per common courtesy, nanodayo), and she grabbed it gratefully, standing up and wobbling slightly. Out of reflexes, the green-haired male stabled her, his grip on her hands tightening.

Azure blue met emerald green, gratitude clear in one.

"Thank you, Midorima-kun," she smiled brightly - just like the first time they met, only this time, he could actually detect the underlying of what she wanted to hide with that smile. His respect for her grew. (Not many can smile that way, after what happened.)

((It sickened him to know that this have been happening for a perhaps longer time than he thought.))

He then noticed that his grip on her hands were still - _ohmygoodness_ \- he let go quickly, a blush quickly rising to his cheeks.

"L-Let's go, nanodayo," he nervously clenched a hand over his lucky item in his pocket.

(Well, at least this surely _wasn't_ a prank by Takao.)


	25. Droplet Twenty-Five: Reality

**Drabble Twenty-Five: Reality**

* * *

Midorima watched as her small fingers curled around the warm cocoa he had gotten her a few moments ago. She was dressed in a spare jumpsuit that looked a tad bit oversized on her, and her blue eyes were swimming with remorse and cast downwards.

"Was that occurrence common, Inoue?" Midorima touched on the topic tentatively. She stiffened a little, bringing the drink to her mouth for a hesitant sip.

Then it occurred to him. "Takao knows," he muttered, feeling slightly surprised - but it was not a difficult conclusion to come to with how the male had acted to get him to " _chance_ _upon_ " Inoue and the lowly bunch.

"Did he tell you, Midorima-kun?" Natsuki questioned nervously, squeezing her cocoa can a little. He scoffed lightly, taking a drink from his red bean soup.

"No," he replied easily, "I found out by myself. Now, Inoue, you haven't answered my question." She pursed her lips, unsure.

"Perhaps..." She replied cryptically. Midorima gave her a critical eye, and she seem to shrivel up in guilt.

"I...just don't want you to get involved as well. I am dealing with it just fine, Midorima-kun!" Natsuki burst out, clutching the cocoa can close to her chest. Her blue eyes held a frustrated shimmer and a sheen of tears. Usually, the sight of tears (or even an inkling of them) would have sent Midorima into a frenzy - but not this time. The green-haired male seems too determined to weasel out an answer than to notice.

"'Just fine' does not include getting mugged and messed up by a couple of lowly cowards in the hallway, Inoue," he reprimanded, feeling much like the same way he does when he scolds his little sister or Takao. "And I am perfectly capable of handling myself, you do not have to worry about my involvement as it will be of my own choice."

Natsuki started down into her warm cocoa. Only until after a few moments of silence and a few shuffles as she shifted uncomfortably did she opened her mouth.

"Midorima-kun, I am scared." She confessed, the tears clouding her eyes. "I am very, _very_ scared. It doesn't usually show, and I try to hide or ignore it most of the time just so I can convince myself to come to school. It started right after the school year kicked start." In his mind, Midorima growled angrily. Those cowards were at it for the better part of the year?

"When I see them and they start backing me in a corner and I realise I have no _claws_ against them - the fear overcomes me and I am _scared_. Exhausted... Frustrated. Tired of this. Sometimes I wonder why I bother scrubbing those water bottles and refilling them again and again and again, or why I even bother coming to school anymore, but then I think of my parents and all those who care about me and I _just can't give up._ " She wiped her tears and chuckled.

"Fear and the stubbornness to not give up makes a very bad concoction, and soon enough they get to me more than I like it," she said quietly. Midorima watched her carefully.

 _Something's not right_ , he realised, as the small thought floated around his mind, _her smiles are not there._

Natsuki dashed her eyes once, twice, then blinked up at Midorima. A small, resigned smile captured her lips as she met his green eyes.

"I try not to blame it on fate, but sometimes, when I am alone at night and everything is dark and quiet and my wounds are aching and my hair feel like they have been pulled out by overzealous farmers who thought it as weeds, I inadvertently blame it on fate. What else can you do, other than resign to it?"

There was a moment of silence just there, and Midorima thought he could almost _hear_ the silence. The birds had gone quiet from outside the infirmary window, and no one was moving in the room itself. He resolved himself to make the first crinkling sound of the aluminum can in his hand.

"I would walk you home today, Inoue."

Natsuki's head snapped up quickly, her blue eyes wide and unbelieving.

"Hah?"

Midorima clucked his tongue in annoyance. "Is that the only sound you can make? Because it is unintelligible."

She closed her mouth to stop gaping, but her eyes were still shining with astonishment. It reminded him of the time when they first met, and she still called him " _Mister Tall Guy_ ". He let his lips quirk up at that.

Natsuki however, did not notice the reminiscent look Midorima had on, and was looking down at her bare hands in odd wonderment.

"Why, Midorima-kun?" She asked, befuddled.

"Because you're my friend," he replied simply, bringing the red bean soup to his lips.

He thought he will never forget the grateful eyes filled with disbelief Inoue Natsuki gave him for that moment. A small part of his heart felt relieved - so this was what her eyes were trying to tell him, the time he said something similar.

"And also because Pisces' lucky colour is green today," he muttered.

A teary yet full-blown smile erupted on her face along with a short giggle (oh thank goodness, he _can't_ _stand_ _tears_ ).

"Thank you, thank you... _Thank you_ , Midorima-kun," she sniffed, her words getting punctuated by her sniffles. He patted her head awkwardly, feeling a warm ache spread in his heart. Nobody should ever deserve treatment like that, and he felt his heart go out for the girl curled on the chair beside his.

"Ah, Midorima-kun," he removed his hand, and met her warm blue eyes, not filled with hard-earned or even pretended cheer, but now with a trace of pain but gratefulness lining it.

(Her eyes looks nicer like that, nanodayo-) ((the thought was immediately banished and the only tell-tale sign that he ever had that thought was the red rising up his neck))

"Please call me Natsuki, Midorima-kun," before he could move to protest, she cut in again, "we are friends, aren't we?" She beamed, and it was a beam dimmer than the previous ones he had seen from her, yet filled with so much warmth that he felt attracted and addicted to it like a moth to a fire.

"...yes, I believe so," the prim-and-proper forced himself to reply. The line _"it is not proper to call a lady by their first-name"_ repeated like a mantra in his head.

"Thank you for being my friend, Midorima-kun... I never had friends," she admitted quietly to more seemingly herself than him. Midorima, though, was more to himself even though he had filed the words she said in his mind for future processing.

(Should I let her call me by my first name as well? Ugh, this never happened with Takao because being so insolent he had just upped and used my first name since we met - ugh...)

"You never had friends?" He asked, though mindful to keep his incredulity to a minimum in his tone. Even _he_ had the Generation of Miracles in Middle School...

She smiled brightly at him. "It doesn't matter now, Midorima-kun and Takao-kun are my friends, right?"

He nodded absentmindedly to that statement, telling her to quickly finish her cocoa that was getting cold. He sipped on his red bean soup. Perhaps these days he could call Momoi up and introduce her to the brown-haired girl...

"Natsuki, your e-mail address please," he inquired politely, tilting his head slightly at her. Too occupied with the new plan of his to introduce a girl friend to the former, he did not much realise that he had instinctively used her name.

She blinked, but obediently recited her phone number. Midorima filed it in his mind, not willing to run back down to the gym to grab his mobile phone.

"Aren't you going to tell me something like 'I don't want to be friends with you anymore', Midorima-kun?" She offered in a small voice.

Midorima regarded her with a raised eyebrow. "And why would I _do_ that?"

She fumbled with her words. "'Cause-! Cause...it wouldn't be cool to have friend who gets bullied," she recited sullenly, as she had been told that before. Midorima reckoned that she probably did, and so awarded the dooming atmosphere with a roll of his eyes and the best sneer-slash-scoff he could muster.

"I am not such a person, Natsuki," he replied calmly, disgust coating the undertones of his voice, "it is not in my manner, and certainly not common courtesy to abandon a friend just because it would not fulfill the social requirements of what is 'cool'."

For the second time that day, she gaped at him. Fortunately, the girl gotten over it easier than she had the first time, and instead burst into laughter so hard that she was wiping her eyes of stray tears forced out by her laughter.

"Midorima-kun, you sounded so regal for a second!" She giggled. "Almost like Professor Snape from Harry Potter."

He let his lips curl up a little at seeing Natsuki bent over in laughter. "I assure you that I do not belong in Slytherin, nor do I have goodness forbid - greasy hair." He tried for dry wit, only to be rewarded with peals of laughter.

(Midorima decided that her smiles may be - cough - pretty, her giggles - er, excuse him - _soothing_ , but her laughters were another world entirely.)

"You read Harry Potter too?" She grinned, and for the first time, the green-haired male felt that he was _really_ seeing Inoue Natsuki - not the girl-who-gets-bullied, girl-who-refills-water-bottles, girl-who-has-bright-smiles - just Natsuki. And she is content with it.

 _(Well, he is as well.)_

"Yes, for one cannot be considered well-read until they read the series," he tipped his glasses up, and caught a flash of the clock.

"I will have to go back down to the gym now," he caught himself before her name flew out of his mouth naturally. Ugh, did he really just call her by his first name without tact for the past five minutes?! Damn. Midorima felt the red rise up to his ears, and he averted his eyes from the brown-haired girl and coughed into his fist.

"I will see you at the main gate," he caught himself again before he said her name. (But he already started - and- ugh.)

"I-Is it really fine to call you by your first name?" He asked, queasy. She gave him an amused-slash-queer look, before breaking into one of her bright smiles.

"Yeap!"

Her smile really is worth a thousand suns.

"Then call me Shintaro as well, to return the favour as per common courtesy, of course..." He stammered out his voice soft, touching his nape self-consciously in embarrassment. At that moment, Emi-sensei burst into the room, taking the attention of the two students.

"Oh, Natsuki-chan, I am so sorry, was attending to some urgent business at the office... What happened this time?" She bustled in, and after giving Midorima a quick look over to assure he is not the one hurt, she quickly fussed over the girl seated on the chair.

The green-haired male processed his former words and almost foamed at the mouth, his face burning brightly. Did he just request someone - much less _a girl_ \- to call him by his first name?

He quickly excused himself from the infirmary, feeling that Natsuki is well taken care of in the hands of the capable nurse Takao is infatuated with.

"A-Ah! See you later, Shintaro, at the front main gate, after your practice!"

His stunned eyes only captured the shy smile Natsuki sent his way before the infirmary closed shut behind him.

 _(She. Accepted. His. Request.)_

Midorima didn't know why, but at that moment, he didn't care much for being severely late for practice and going missing on his break.

(Takao probably weaved a thousand excuses for him anyway.)


	26. Droplet Twenty-Six: Gratitude

**Drabble Twenty-Six: Gratitude**

"Natsu-chin, what are you making?" A curtain of purple hair stretched lazily in view from the kitchen door, and the girl in question looked up in surprise. A bright smile, however, soon adorned her lips, as per usual, and the duo ignored Ming'e's exasperated 'Murasakibara-kun, you're not allowed past the counter!' and Himuro's placating, soothing tone from outside.

"Cookies, Mura-kun," she replied cheerfully. "Do you want to try some?" She pulled out a tray of cookies from the oven, the colourful assorted shapes decorating the surface of the tray. The basketball player's face brightened visibly at that as he hungrily eyed the cute little shapes with cheerily coloured chocolate sprinkled on it.

Murasakibara nodded quickly. At this time, a tug caught his attention, and he grudgingly turned away from the sight of Natsuki emptying the tray into a bowl to face his friend.

" _Yes_ , Muro-chin?" he questioned grouchily.

Himuro chuckled. " _Come come_ , Atsushi, we're not supposed to be in here. Ming-san will have our heads if we stay a second longer. Let's go."

The taller male shook his head obstinately. "I want to eat Natsu-chin's cookies!"

The brown-haired girl let out a tinkling laugh filled with mirth as she approached the duo, a bowl of cookies perched in her hands.

"Try some too, Himuro-kun." She prompted cheerfully, thrusting the bowl towards them. Almost immediately, the tall purple-haired giant dug into the bowl of sweets with lazy ferocity. The black-haired male snitched a heart-shaped cookie after offering his consent. The pair of basketball junkies let out matching praises for the cookies, bringing a bright smile from the blue-eyed girl.

"So, who are you making _these_ for?" Himuro questioned slyly after elbowing his partner out of the counter area. Ming'e huffed good-naturedly as Murasakibara offered her a lazy wave (that was _not_ at all apologetic for stepping into 'authorised personnel only' space) and purchased another slice of rainbow cake. "Surely it couldn't be for Atsushi? He _did_ just devour your first batch..." he added thoughtfully.

Natsuki blinked, then unexpectedly, a light pink dusted her cheeks. "W-What makes you think I am making these cookies for someone in particular, Himuro-kun?" She hugged the bowl of crumbs to herself self-consciously, a hand tucking a brown strand behind her bandana-clad head.

Himuro chuckled. "These cookies aren't on the menu, _darling_ ," he teased, "and you're turning quite a delicate shade of red there."

She flushed a darker colour now, and pushed him out of the counter area, earning a " _good job"_ from Ming'e.

"I-It's no one you know..." With that, Natsuki turned tails and ran back into the kitchen.

Ming'e chose this time to stop her fussing with the display cabinet and looked up questioningly at the only high-school student left standing in the area.

"What's wrong with Xiaxi?" She questioned.

Himurosmiled secretly, then chuckled. "I think our little Natsuki-chan has a crush."


	27. Droplet Twenty-Seven: Basketball

**Drabble Twenty-Seven: Basketball**

* * *

It was the first time Inoue Natsuki had ever been to the stadium for a basketball match, but not the first time she had went to the stadium, if a hazy memory of _loving smiles and warmth and her parents_ were anything to go by.

Thusly so, the brown-haired girl had been thoroughly impressed when she looked down the elevated stands amidst a mildly thin crowd and saw people in jerseys warming up. She clutched the ticket Takao had given her to her chest, feeling warmth spread in her body as she spied her school team players in orange jerseys on the court.

The match wouldn't start for another half hour, but Natsuki had come early to get a good spot so that she wouldn't let down Takao's excitement. A smile touched her lips as her mind went back to how the basketball player jumped her to tell her of who the Shuutoku are competing against. _And Shintaro..._ Her heart skipped a beat, and against her will, a light blush dusted her cheeks.

Shintaro had of course, berated the child-like male and made sure to let her know _There's practice today, remember to wait by the usual spot, I'll walk you home_. Takao had grinned surreptitiously by the side (unbeknownst to her but very much known to the then tomato-faced Shintaro, it was a _sly_ grin).

Natsuki's pastel blue eyes searched out the faces of the sea of jerseys below, before her eyes locked with silver ones and she smiled brightly, her fingers tugging her white sweater and picking on a strand of loose yarn.

Takao's eyes brightened, and he signaled, holding up an index finger before running off. Natsuki blinked in confusion - _what was that supposed to mean?_ She looked up at the ceiling - _was he pointing up? Was there something up there?_ \- she patted her face uncertainly. _Was he pointing at her instead? Or behind her? But no, his finger was pointing up...wait, he was pushing his hand forward, so...one? One what?_ The poor girl tilted her head in confusion, not noticing the black-haired male sneaking up behind her.

A pat on her shoulder startled the brown-haired girl.

"Yo, Naaaatsuki-chan!" Natsuki grinned and laughed. _Oh, 'gimme a minute', he meant_ , she thought absent-mindedly.

"Yo'sup, Taaakao-kun!" She mimicked, and they shared a chuckle.

Takao is donning a set of orange-jersey, Shuutoku's school colour and of course, his signature basketball shoes and a wide-grin. "So, ready to rock the world with me?" He spread his hands dramatically. Natsuki giggled.

"Not at all, but here! I made cookies for Shuutoku's team! And I researched a bit and asked Ming-san what athletes eat, but she didn't know, so I asked Himuro-kun and Murasakibara-kun..." She chattered on, not noticing that Takao had steered her towards the stairs down to the court area.

"...and it turns out that you guys eat lemon slices to replenish your energy! So I asked around the shop, of course-"

"Shop, Natsuki?" She startled, and fumbled with her tupperware of cookies. A light flush dusted her cheeks and Takao spun her around with face the green-haired basketball player behind her with a(n evil) grin.

"Shintaro!" The bubbly girl smiled happily. Midorima inclined his head in acknowledgement, a teddy bear in a taekwondo robe perched on his left hand.

"Yo, Shin-chan! Eheh, I'm going now~ have something to tell the coach, you see!" He ran off, leaving the two teens facing each other in the dust. A slightly awkward silence descended on the two, before the green-haired male sighed and leaned against the wall to look out at the court.

"Shop, Natsuki?" He started smoothly, and she bobbed her head up and down with a wide smile.

"Shop! I work at Sugar to Sweets! On weekends or holidays, I work at the Akita branch, but on weekdays it's in a town not far from Tokyo." She elaborated. He tipped his glasses up, a frown making itself known on his face.

"Akita?" He said thoughtfully. "You have to travel far by train for hours. Wouldn't that be terribly inconvenient?"

Natsuki hummed, her pastel-blue eyes searching the high ceiling. "Hmm. Almost eight hours...?" She said, her nose wrinkling. "The boss pays for my travel fees, and the pay is good, so I don't mind." She punctuated it with a sheepish smile.

Midorima felt a corner of his lips tilt up and he turned the other way from her smile to hide his expression.

"Naaatsuki-chan! Here here, come over!"

( _Stupid Takao_ , he grumbled in his mind.)

She pushed herself off the wall, and with another blinding smile, Natsuki ran to where Takao was... _talking with the coach?!_

Midorima spied them with a minimal amount of unease as he pushed off the wall and settled himself on a bench, his eyes not moving from the trio, where Natsuki was starting to look...confused.

Then, with less gesturing and a few nods from the coach, Natsuki's face clearing up and the coach gesturing for the boys to get back to the locker room and Takao sporting a _terribly down-right evil_ grin, Midorima felt a foreboding wave hit him.

* * *

 **A/N: It's getting long, so I will put the next part in the next drabble! (not that I ever cared whether it was very long or not but blergh xD)**


	28. Droplet Twenty-Eight: Plot

**Drabble Twenty-Eight: Plot**

 **A/N: I used 'senpai-tachi', because it felt wrong to use 'senpais' or 'all senpais' or any variation.**

 **I apologise for any OOCs - Shuutoku's team members (aside from Midorima and Takao) aren't very well-explained, so I figured that I'll end some of my stuff in to make them seem more...human, and more than 2D, I guess? Do tell me if there's any glaring mistakes in their characterisation, I'm open to discussing how to make them better!**

* * *

"Who's the man beside Takao-kun, Shintaro?" Natsuki asked curiously, a furrow in-between her eyebrows as she tried to peg why the man seems so...familiar. Like she had seen him before. Have I? She wondered. Aloud, she added on. "Did he appear around school before?"

"He's the basketball team's coach, and also an English teacher at our school," Midorima provided helpfully. "So yes, I imagine you would have encountered him at some point, 'nodayo."

Natsuki stared at the man as they made their way to him. A part of her kept in mind that she was staring hard - probably a little harder than socially polite, and she should probably stop, but... "I don't forget faces," the brown-haired girl concluded with a smile - a smile that incidentally made her look like she had just solved a case before Sherlock did in the book, "I _do_ think I've seen him around though. His back, perhaps?" She tilted her head, her eyes drifting upwards, making her expression look a little dreamy.

Midorima decided he _didn't_ like that expression.

Impulsively, he placed a hand on her back - level with her shoulder blades (she felt so... _fragile;_ much like his lucky items when he held them in his hand), and gently applied pressure to push her forward. Gruffly, he added, "pay attention when you walk; let's hurry."

(He didn't see Natsuki's reaction, but Takao sure _did_.)

((In Midorima's point of view - _why is Takao grinning like_ that _?_ He felt flabbergasted that anything in the world can make his _...partner_ grin like _that._ ))

When they were a few meters scarce of Takao and coach Nakatani, Midorima hastily let his arms fall to his side, ignoring the flush that rose up his neck at the thought that he had such close contact with...well, _a girl_ , for the past _minute_. He felt appropriately mortified by this. (But Midorima couldn't say that he _didn't_ dislike the brief contact. It made him feel so much like a _pervert_ for a moment that his face light up like a bulb.)

"Coach Nakatani, I have the pleasure of introducing Inoue Natsuki! _Naaa_ tsuki-chan! This is Masaaki Nakatani, Shuutoku's Basketball Team's coach. You may also know him as an English teacher in our school, of course." Takao introduced exuberantly with a flourish, gesturing wildly with his hands. Midorima felt inclined to be embarrassed _for_ his partner. He wondered if that will be enough reason to kick Takao into doing the pedalling for today.

Natsuki laughed. "Hello, Coach Nakatani! I am a student of Shuutoku, a first-year. Would you like a cookie?" She asked politely, holding out the tupperware in her hands. Midorima stared. That reaction was _too_ natural to be faked - he felt a little thrown off at realising that he didn't know the girl _that_ well (or dare he say it; _as well as he thought he did_ ); it's almost like she's used to being introduced to people suddenly, and has honed a _perfectly reasonable_ ( ** _no_** ) reaction which was to _offer them cookies_. That bounced off his danger sense _Very Much_ (it deserves the capitals)- _what if she got abducted?! Or if some stranger or stalker knocks on her door_ \- Midorima's thoughts screeched to a halt when he realised that the blue-eyed girl will probably invite them inside for _tea_. Or _offer them cake_. Those didn't bode well for his senses. Not at **_all_**.

He wondered if he should start investing in lucky items for the girl. Surely it must be detrimental to health to be this _absent-minded_...or _naive_...or _trusting_... Midorima felt the urge to mess up his hair in frustration - like what those animated characters do all the time in shows. _That was a bad comparison_ \- Midorima Shintaro was _nothing_ like those _coloured pixels_! He felt insulted... and firmly tried not to think about how _he_ was the one who made the comparison in the first place.

Great, now his thoughts are running in circles.

"Oh, sure!" Natsuki beamed.

Takao nodded amiably, looking far too pleased. _Wait, what?_ Midorima thought. He had spaced out and missed the bulk of the conversation - that in itself made him feel the urge to blanch, Midorima Shintaro _did not space out!_

" _What_?" The green-haired male snapped after Coach Nakatani left for the registration table (probably to finalise some paperwork), looking thoughtful and slightly pleased. Takao grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Come on! Let's introduce her to the team!" Takao snatched the girl up faster than Midorima could say anything, whizzing her to the locker room. Gritting his teeth ( _why_ did he **_space out_** , so much so that he didn't realise the team had gone back to the locker room - and missed the conversation beside him, _oh Kami of Oha-Asa_ ), the high-schooler allowed himself a moment to gather his calm and adjust his glasses, before following at a much more sedate pace. First, he had to find out what he missed.

"- Inoue Natsuki-chan! She's our new errand girl, y'know, to distribute towels and refill water bottles..." Takao's voice lowered, and Midorima placed his hand on the doorknob, about to enter. "but unofficially, she's the basketball club's _mascot_!"

The door flew open in a bang, revealing a green-haired male who's eye was twitching noticeably. His left hand clasped around the lucky item ominously, and for a moment, all the team members in the room felt stuck - they never _did_ encounter an _angry_ Midorima before, after all. Shocked, embarrassed, confident bordering on arrogant, they did, but never... _anger_.

"Ah, Shintaro! I was wondering where you went!" Midorima felt the strange surge of emotion ( _it's called anger_ , a voice sounding suspiciously like Takao said in the back of his mind) subside, and he relaxed his muscles (which he felt confusing - he didn't even realised he tensed). The team breathed out a sigh of relief that went unnoticed, before keying in with interest at the conversation between their new 'errand girl' and Shooting Guard.

"Natsuki," his tone was slightly reproachful, "why did you agree to become the -" he felt the words stuck in his throat - 'errand girl' just seemed so...unsuitable, in a sense. "- _helper_ around?"

She blinked, then her smile fell slightly. Takao started gesturing wildly behind Natsuki to his partner. "You...don't like it?" A hint of disappointment made its way into the undertone of her voice. Midorima's eyes widened, and caught the gestures Takao was desperately sending behind the girl. **_NO - NO SHIN-CHAN DON'T-_**

"A-Ah - no! I mean, I _don't_ _dislike_ it-nanoda-" Midorima floundered for a second, which everyone in the team did not fail to catch. Miyaji Kiyoshi, in particular, felt a little vindictive, for all the troubles the green-haired male had brought on them with the Three Whims Per Day rule. So he burst out in laughter, effectively catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"Of _course_ he didn't, Natsuki-chan!" The blond smirked. "He likes you _waaay_ too much for that." _There, payback, Midorima._ He thought smugly.

Takao quickly caught on, and slung a friendly arm around the short girl's shoulders.

"Yep, Natsuki-chan!" Midorima's face burned not unlike a fire hose. And his glare could potentially kill.

( _Why is everyone addressing her so informally?_ The grouch in Midorima complained...well, _grouchily_.)

The brown-haired girl looked up earnestly at the green-haired male, and Miyaji wondered what on earth that guy did to deserve it. At this time, though, Otsubo stepped up and clapped his hand twice, regaining order in the room.

"Let's finish introductions - we still have a game, guys!" The captain smiled encouragingly. Midorima sighed irritably and tipped his glasses up, closing the door behind him.

Natsuki smiled brightly. "Ah, yes! Nice to meet you, senpai-tachi! I am a first-year, in class 1-C. Here, I made lemon slices. I heard that's what-"

" _LEMON SLICES?!_ " Yuuya Miyaji barrelled out from the gaggle of boys and leaned close to inspect the tupperware she held out. " _Shit_ , it's real guys! We finally have someone to make us _lemon slices_!" He breathed. Even Shinsuke looked curious. But that was true - they never did had anyone to make them nourishment during their matches. _Perhaps this could be for good_ , Midorima thought, at least he could keep an eye on the girl over part of the summer holidays, and perhaps she'll survive this unscathed _._ Natsuki just smiled quizzically, probably signifying that she didn't understand what was going around in the room any more. Midorima pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. The day was turning out to be complicated.

At that moment, Coach Nakatani opened the door.

"Hey boys, we're heading out. Inoue-kun, you can sit at the bench with the reserves and me." Everyone sobered up at that, and filed out of the room. Midorima waited until the last one (Takao) went out, before turning to the girl who was stuffing the boxed delicacies back in her bag.

"Kinka High, if I'm not wrong?" She smiled brightly. "Good luck, Shintaro!"

All the words he previously wanted to say were promptly dumped out the proverbial window, and he slapped his mouth shut when he realised that his jaw muscles were slacked.

"Yes..." He dredged up in his suddenly empty mind when he realised they were alone in the locker room. Then he took in what she said, and adjusted his glasses in a superior manner.

"Man proposes, God disposes. With Oha-Asa's lucky item on hand, Shuutoku is well on its road to victory, nanodayo." He replied confidently.

The tint of pink on Natsuki's face must be his imagination, since the girl quickly pushed him out of the locker room to join the rest of his team mates. When they reached the end of the corridor that led to the court, a small hand grabbed his and gave it a tight squeeze, before retreating as quickly.

Midorima could only watch in surprise (and with a flush climbing up his neck slowly) as Natsuki jogged off to where the coach was, not looking back once.

Takao slapped his back then, letting out sniggers. Midorima's eye twitched.

"We'll talk after this," he said lowly to the other player. _Well, that wasn't so bad_ , Takao thought, relieved. At least there weren't any signs of animosity. Or anger.

Midorima paused. "And you're pedalling today." _Dammnit._

* * *

 **A/N: Soo...how did you like this? It's about 1600 words. Dang, I really wasn't kidding when the summary said 'drabble length varies greatly'. Hope you liked this! And poor Midorima, he doesn't even seem to realise that he's caring a lot for her. Oh well, that'll come around soon. Do tell me your thoughts!  
**

 **I keep jumping povs though. Hopefully it doesn't disrupt the flow of the story much...usually I stick to one, but when there's a lot of characters and only one scene I find it hard to compromise D:**


	29. Droplet Twenty-Nine: Match

**Drabble Twenty-Nine: Match**

 **A/N: Special shout-out to _midorima-shintaro07_. you made my day. :) And thank you very very very much to the Guest who reviewed every chapter thus far, you are amazing.  
**

* * *

Takao...was not a very likable person. Not at _all_ , actually, in Midorima's sullen point of view. But to harbour less-than-neutral feelings for his partner on court might prove to be disastrous when they go up on said court again, so Midorima tolerated.

He, however, would never be the first one to line up and get a number for Takao Kazunari for the poll of ' _who is your favorite person_ '. Mark. His. _Words_. Because can you _believe_ what he's doing _right now_? Midorima can. He usually believes the worst of a person after all.

Said person was currently savouring the lemon slices and hogging the container to himself, batting away hands that reached out for it. A few, such as Miyaji Jr, the captain, and the surprisingly fast Shinsuke managed to snitch a few. Midorima would _not_ degrade himself to such an activity. Like...having to dart in fast enough to get a slice. _No_. ... _nanodayo_.

He can survive the second half of the match without a lemon slice (his mind traitorously supplied that _Natsuki_ , his _friend_ , was the one who made it - and unfortunately he wasn't immune to sentimental bribing suggestions). He _will_.

"Come, Takao-kun, it's not fair to the team if you take it for yourself!" Natsuki, (resident godsend,) said, a disapproving frown on her face. At seeing the rare negative expression, Takao dropped the container contritely, which incidentally was caught by the captain - and _ah sweet heaven_ , Midorima finally got what he deserved. More so that the raven-haired lad pouting beside him.

(A small part of him rather thought he felt _too_ victorious, for something as trivial as lemon slices.)

As the rest of the team shuffled off to finally divide the goodies evenly - with Natsuki returning to her conversation with the coach (the green-haired man was _not_ curious, nanodayo, _stop_ suggesting such inane things) - Midorima grimaced and settled down beside his partner.

"Ahoy, Shin-chan!" Takao grinned, not at all ashamed that he just wasted the team's time by greedily taking hold of the energy snacks.

"Get to the point, Takao," Midorima snapped, his mood only slightly revived by the lemon slice he was discreetly sucking on. "About why you felt the need to integrate Natsuki into the Basketball Club."

Takao's grin fell, and his eyes sharpened as he glanced over to see the brown-haired girl deep in conversation with the coach. Getting the all-clear, the black-haired male returned his attention to the bespectacled partner sitting irritably beside him.

"Have you noticed who's the one bullying Natsuki-chan all the time?" He said, his voice low. "I did a little research -"

At that, Midorima felt the slightest bit of guilt - he hadn't bothered to scratch past the surface to help with her problem unlike Takao, after all.

"- and it turns out that there's this group of people who follows the Queen Bee around."

Midorima's eyebrows furrowed. "Queen Bee?" His mind circled around the image of a...literal queen bee.

"No, not that, oh my gawd you're _hopeless_ , Shin-chan," Takao shook his head, gesturing his hands widely - reeling back when his hand hit something solid. Midorima flinched, when he realised that _they were surrounded by the team_. Takao didn't fare half as well, his expression suddenly looking too strained by social standards.

"Too impolite to announce your presence? -nanodayo," the green-haired male quipped, pushing his glasses up in an attempt to reclaim his lost composure. Miyaji Jr just grinned.

"Well, when we saw you two whispering like that, we just couldn't resist!" He slung a friendly arm around Takao's shoulder, and Otsubo nodded.

"Even though you're obnoxious," the Shooting Guard glared at that, "Inoue-chan is a perfectly fine girl." _You're just speaking this from tasting her cooking_ , Midorima thought grumpily. "So if there's anything concerning her, we want to help." _Self-righteous little..._ The green-haired basketball player ran through insulting names in his head but was unable to decide on one.

"You are just enamored by the confectioneries she brought," he said sourly.

A tick formed in the captain's forehead. "Why you little- someone pass me a pineapple so I can - "

"Now, now, calm down, Cap'n..." As Takao started his 'Calm Captain Down From Throwing Pineapple' speech, Midorima grimaced at his thoughts.

(In truth, he just felt bad that he hadn't thought about helping in this way _before_ everyone. _Ugh dammnit._ )

After awhile, Takao sighed exasperatedly and leaned forward after the latest 'therapy' session. "Okay, fine, thing is - I dragged her in here to get her away from the Science Society. That's where the bulk of her bullies come from - and guess what? I found out that she's the only first-year this year." Midorima's eyes narrowed at the information. Takao grimaced. "Seems like they forced her to join... Submitted her form for her and all. Fucking bastards - going this far just to bully a powerless girl..."

Midorima clenched his jaw, and his eyes involuntarily flickered to where the blue-eyed girl, who was excitedly speaking with Coach Nakatani, a container of cookies between them. Coach Nakatani was chewing suspiciously at what seems to be a sweetened product from the container, spewing one compliment or another. His mind flashed back to the dreamy expression she had before the match started - and he scowled.

"Shin-chan?"

"What?" He snapped. Another memory was unwillingly brought up - of the mud-caked girl and the miserable expression she tried to veil with a weak smile.

The image seems to warp and change to a too-similar green-haired girl in the same situation- and Midorima banished the thought with a vengeance.

Takao just grinned knowingly before coughing into a fist (the first thought that surfaced in Midorima's mind was to poison his cough drops, _that little-_ ). "Anyway, I asked Coach to help. He's a teacher too, after all. Not supposed to condone bullying and all that. And after he knew that Natsuki-chan could remember things very easily, he seem quite interested." He smirked.

Midorima's eye twitched, and he let out an aggravated sigh. "... _Fine_." _'Since it gets her away'_ went unsaid. He then eyed Takao suspiciously. "How did you know of her extensive memory ability?" He pushed the metal structure up his nose again.

The black-haired male just grinned in that frustrating way - and Midorima felt the urge to...vapulate him. _Certainly_. **_Yes_**.

"I'm Natsuki-chan's friend too!" He pouted _(resist, desist, Midorima)_. "Did you think I wouldn't _notice_?~" Midorima felt that he was at a crossroad of life currently. To punch - or not to punch. Unfortunately, he prided himself on a whole lot more self-control than that, so he abruptly stood up, dispersing the group of boys leaning over each other to listen to Takao's soft words.

"Was it acceptable? The lemon slices, I mean," Natsuki asked, tilting her body over to face the group of boys gathered at the other end of the locker room. She blushed when they instantly fixed their attention on her.

"Why, of course, Natsuki-chan!" Takao shouted out from somewhere in the middle of the group. That seem to break the stalemate and silence, and everyone gave their appreciation in various forms. (Midorima thinks Miyaji Jr is getting this little bit _too_ touchy - but then he wonders why he's bothered at all. Right, because she's a _friend_. He insisted to himself.)

"Okay, boys, let's head out - the buzzer sounded!" Coach Nakatani commanded, and everyone obediently shuffled out. None were as tense as they were before the start of the match - Kinka High was getting thoroughly thrashed. For a moment, Midorima wondered if Natsuki had seen him during the match. A flush made its way up his neck when he realised that _she obviously did_ , being seated on the bench and all.

He wondered why the question popped up at all. But then Natsuki smiled at him and squeezed his hand again before heading for the bench - and Midorima felt himself appropriately forgetting why he wondered at all.

Why, indeed.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait and uhm, if any basketball facts are wrong please tell me, since I'm shit at what actually happens on court lol.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	30. Droplet Thirty: After-match

**Drabble Thirty: After-match**

* * *

Kinka High lost 153 – 21 to Shuutoku High. Natsuki frowned at the scoreboard, a furrow making itself known between her eyebrows. She didn't know much about sports, much less basketball, but such a great difference… _What about sportsmanship?_

She get that the boys wanted to prove themselves in this match, but leaving them so _thoroughly_ beaten… Natsuki felt a stab of sympathy in her heart. It was almost like watching bullies, only on the court. She thought that with guilt – the basketball boys were really nice and complimented her lemon slices even though it was her first time making it. _Maybe they didn't mean to pull score gap that much?_ She wondered.

Hugging the water bottles (the boys retreated to the locker room, and in a bout of guilt for her previous track of thoughts, she had stolen all their water bottles unbelievably fast and ran for the water cooler on the other side of the stadium) to her chest, she let out a dejected sigh – before crashing into a solid wall and falling on her behind. The water bottles scattered, the noise echoing noisily in the hallway.

"I am sorry!" The brown-haired girl blabbered, reflex having her recover quick enough to gather the bottles without looking up at the wall she offended. She didn't even know why there's a wall in the middle of the hallway – _or did I accidentally walk into a door again?_ She wondered absentmindedly. A hand reached out to grasp a water bottle that rolled to the feet clad in basketball shoes, and Natsuki paused before looking up.

A sheen of sweat was reflected off his skin, and a towel was draped over his neck. It was clear he had just finished playing a match – but the jersey spelled out _'Seirin'_ , so Natsuki figured he was playing in the next court. Good, it will be awkward if a Kinka player recognised her as Shuutoku's manager or whatnot (she was not!) – Natsuki still hasn't figured out what she should do to apologise on behalf of the boys in the team.

"I apologise," the blue-haired boy said, squatting down to collect the rest of the bottles.

"T-Thank you," the blue-eyed girl blinked at the boy – she didn't realise it wasn't a wall but a _person_ , after all.

He stood up, and Natsuki hastily followed suit. "Are you refilling these bottles? I will help." He stated, before walking deeper into the hallway to the water cooler a few meters away. The brown-haired girl quickly followed.

"S-Sorry for bumping into you," she tried apologising, "I didn't realise...uh..." It seemed a bit rude to just say ' _I didn't realise you were there_ ', so Natsuki clammed up and bit her lower lip in worry.

"It's fine," he replied amiably, "I get that a lot." The unknown boy added as an afterthought. Natsuki thought he looked quite nice, if people knew how to read the small, miniscule changes in his expressions. As they filled up the bottles in a comfortable silence, Natsuki let her thoughts wander again. _What should she do to apologise? Do the Kinka people like cookies? Maybe I could write a small note too…_ As the last bottle filled up and the tap closed, a voice traveled down from the hallway after a door opened and closed.

"Kuroko? You here?" A gruff voice sounded, and Natsuki looked back to see a red-haired, monstrously tall (like Shintaro) guy appear round the corner, donning the same jersey as the kind boy who helped her fill up the bottles. "Kuroko, where are-"

"I am here." The blue-haired boy stated calmly, and the red-haired guy startled, turning around only to see the pair. Natsuki fiddled with her sweater nervously – the taller guy looked really scary, like the ones in Takao's basketball horror stories that he sends her at midnight from time to time. _Red-haired...red eyes…_ Gulping, the brown-haired girl took a few steps backwards.

"Oh hey, stop doing that." He rubbed the back of his neck, exasperation clear in his voice. His eyes soon moved to Natsuki though – and a stray thought of how much more she preferred Shintaro's eyes entered her mind.

"H-Hello," she seized up nervously. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to read everything Takao sends over. "I'll just be...going..." She said slowly, maintaining eye contact carefully. Takao said never to break eye contact, or they will sense her fear. Receiving the water bottles over from Kuroko (from what the red-eyed person called him) ((Natsuki wishes him eternal luck)), she nervously trot past the giant, too busy trying not to flinch to notice the confused look in his eyes.

Five minutes later, Midorima looked up curiously from his phone ( _Kise needs to stop texting him weird shit_ ) as the door burst open, and the brown-haired girl quickly closed it before distributing the water bottles. Midorima took one look at the nervous, tense shoulders of Natsuki before rounding on his partner-on-court.

" _Takao_ ," Midorima glared at the sweating-mess-of-nerves, Takao-trash-Kazunari in front of him, "you did something." The green-head accused. His partner was right to be nervous – when something goes wrong, it's almost _always_ his fault.

(Like that time when his lucky item smelled suspiciously of dog piss.)

"I didn't!" He squeaked, his eyes darting to Natsuki and back to Midorima's wrath-filled eyes.

Just then, Natsuki scampered over, and bent down to whisper in Takao's ears. Ignoring the surge of uncalled irritation in him, Midorima strained his ears.

" _...those stories were true, weren't they?"_ Midorima's eye twitched in irritation. After the short conversation with the girl leaving with a relieved expression (if she left with anything less, the black-haired guy would be pedaling for the _month_ ahead), the green-haired guy turned on Takao.

" _Takao_..." he whispered threateningly.

"It was just made-up stories, _I swear_!"

* * *

"...Kagami-kun, what did you ever do to her?"

" _Hah_? I've never seen her before! I don't know why she was so nervous man..."

"...maybe Kagami-kun just looks too scary for visual consumption."

"... _ **Oi**_!"


	31. Droplet Thirty-One: Call

**Drabble Thirty-One: Call**

* * *

Midorima stared at the green-coloured cellphone in his hand, his face blank.

"Nii-san? What are you doing?" His sister, Michiko groused from the sofa. "You've been standing there for the past ten minutes." It was true. Why was he even standing there? Midorima's eye twitched, before he shot a dry glare at his sister and stalked into the kitchen. At least there, he could stand in peace.

Then the silence returned. Midorima stared at the phone in his hands hesitantly. _Should he? Or should he not?_

Flipping it open, he searched down his contacts, and his finger hovered over the option for 'Inoue Natsuki'. It was a perfectly reasonable name – all business, formal and respect. To think he spent five minutes trying to think up on what name to give to the number she gave. Oh dang it, he just wanted to ask if she had done her _holiday homework_!

Grimacing, he left the option alone and worked down the list. And up it again (frowning at 'Takao Kazunari' - it was a reflex reaction really, the greenhead hadn't forgot about the horror stories he confessed messaging to Natsuki), until he stopped at 'Momoi Satsuki'. Right, the brown-haired girl didn't looked like she had much friends. Pausing, his finger hovered over the option.

Screw it, Cancer has reasonably high placing today.

Pressing the text option, he typed up a quick but formal text message.

 _Midorima Shintaro: Momoi, are you free any time next week?_

He received a surprisingly fast reply, considering it was only 8 in the morning for a weekend.

 _Momoi Satsuki: Ello, Midorin! Yes, I am ouo Why?_

 _Midorima Shintaro: I would like for you to meet a friend._

 _Momoi Satsuki: Oooh, a friend? Gotcha. Text me the details!_

Midorima breathed a sigh of relief. _There_. Momoi was unlike most girls (much like Natsuki was – and of course he _did not_ just think that, ' _nodayo_ ), and she would be a good friend yet for the brown-haired girl. It just depended on whether the latter would be fine with this sudden arrangement – and _oh god he has to text Natsuki next._

Tipping his glasses up and almost glaring a hole into his cellphone, he scrolled down the list to Natsuki's name. Just press the text button next-

"Nii-san! You're blocking the way to my cereal!" The high-pitched voice of his younger sister whined, and he jumped, having not realised that she had entered the kitchen.

"Just move around me next time, nanodayo," he said with a sigh. Midorima turned his head back to his phone and – to his horror, the display screen showed that he was currently ringing Natsuki. _Bloody hell._

" _Hello?"_

Midorima ran through a few unsavory comments in his head. His pulse sped up, and he shot his sister a look when she glanced over curiously at the obvious female voice coming from his cellphone. Retreating to his bedroom quickly, he put the cellphone to his ear and swallowed – his throat felt dry all of a sudden.

"Hello," he answered carefully.

He could practically see her smile.

" _Shintaro! How're you doing?"_ she replied cheerfully.

"I am well," he said, already relaxing slightly as he leaned against his bedroom door. "How about you?" The basketball player found himself asking.

 _"Fine! The shop's doing well, and since I don't have to go back for classes this time, I have more free time,"_ she admitted shyly. Midorima's eyebrows furrowed – _had she always experienced having to go back to school for make-up classes during holidays?_ But she wasn't all that bad in academics – _ah._ The bullies. His thoughts darkened at that.

"They don't bother you at work, do they?" he asked immediately, concern leaking into his voice.

" _Who?"_ Natsuki sounded genuinely confused.

 _The useless worms of society._ "The bullies," he replied curtly, wanting to get an answer as soon as possible.

" _Oh, they don't know I work here,"_ she paused, before continuing with a warm tone. " _Thank you, Shintaro. I'll be fine."_ A flush rose up his neck at that.

"You're welcome, _nanodayo_ ," he squeezed out, before coughing and changing topic. "Are you free next week?"

" _Hm?"_ She said, puzzled. _"Well, yes, I have my customary leave on Monday and Tuesday, so I would be returning to Tokyo to grab some necessities. Why?"_

"I've scheduled a meet-up with a-" Midorima paused. "-friend for you." _Momoi_ was _a friend, right?_ Usually they were all business during basketball practices last time, and they only ever went out together with the entire team. That must count.

" _Oh,"_ she replied after a pause, in which she was probably trying to process his sentence. The light clanging of pans and kitchen utensils stopped for a moment, before running water filled the background noise. _"Who?"_ Trust the girl not to ask the more important 'why'. The green-haired male pinched the bridge of his nose – _what if a scam call came and asked her to do something? Will she be as compliant?_

"Momoi Satsuki _'nodayo_. She was an associate of mine in Middle School." He answered, straight to the point.

" _I see," s_ he replied cheerily. _"Sure, then!" What if a kidnapper asked her to get into the bloody car?!_

"Of course, I shall message you the details soon," he replied plainly, more occupied by his thoughts.

" _Mm-hmm- ah, sorry, I have to go now, Shintaro. The shop's opening soon."_ That snapped the male out of his reverie, and he gripped his phone tighter, his throat clogging up with all that he wanted to say _yet didn't know he want to say. Seriously, Midorima Shintaro._

" _See you!"_ The call clicked – and his shoulders slumped – in relief or disappointment, he didn't want to know.

Well, at least he got one thing out of the way. Glancing up, his green eyes caught the alarm clock by his bedside. It was only 8:11 in the morning – this was way too much social interaction for a bright Saturday morning.

(But somehow, he missed the bright cheery voice which greeted him warmly.)

–


	32. Droplet Thirty-Two: Meet-up

**Droplet Thirty-Two: Meet-up**

* * *

Somehow, it became a double date. That's what Takao thought anyway, _because Shin-chan refused to acknowledge it as a 'date'_ , Takao thought sulkily. But Natsuki and a pink-haired girl was here, and both he and Midorima were males, so he reckoned it really was a date. No excuse.

The quartet were seated in a fast-food restaurant, and to nobody's surprise, the pink-haired girl – Momoi, had already became fast friends with the brown-haired girl. Momoi was clearly enamored by the _brown ball of cuteness_ (as she had called it), and proceeded to squeeze the stuffing out of the girl when she first met her. Midorima wasn't very happy, being pushed away by his ex-manager _(who would like being pushed, 'nodayo?)._

Takao laughed at his own monologue, sipping his drink with a wide grin on his face. Midorima shot him a glare, as if he still couldn't believe how Takao had wrangled an invitation from himself. The black-haired male's shit-eating grin widened.

"So, Natsuki, how long have you known Midorin?" Momoi asked. Midorima stiffened at the question, but said nothing. Natsuki smiled, a little confused at the sudden change of topic from how to judge the freshness of carrots to this. Nonetheless, she got carried away with the flow of the conversation as usual.

"Since a few months ago?" She tilted her head, her nose scrunched as she tried to remember. "At the…the…"

"Water cooler," Midorima provided quietly from his end. Momoi and Takao both paused, surprised that he had even interjected – or remembered. The latter in particular, seem to have trouble keeping in his grin. But for once, the green-haired male didn't notice, his eyes fixed on Natsuki, who had a brilliant smile blooming on her face.

"Oh, yes!" Her smile turned shy. "I called you Mister Tall Guy because I didn't know your name," Natsuki said with a sheepish laugh. Momoi blinked, her eyes widening when she saw the slight softening of Midorima's eyes. However, the short-lived moment seem to end far too quickly, as the sharp green eyes quickly returned to its job of glaring at everything and anything ( _except_ her _– and I did_ not _say that, nanodayo_ ).

Takao coughed to disguise the laugh threatening to burst from his throat. Momoi smiled, before resuming her conversation with the brown-haired girl. The black-haired male cheered internally. Initially, when he heard that Shin-chan had set up a meet-up with two girls by himself, he had been shocked (who would think Shin-chan would be so- ((he wasn't going to say 'pimp', really)) daring?!) and worried about how it will go. The emotionally-constipated greenhead didn't look very much like the social type, and so Takao had taken it upon himself to crash on the meet-up. Who knew it will go so well?

He just had to see Midorima _realise it_. _He had been falling for quite awhile, after all…_ A smirk formed on Takao's face, before he groaned and covered his face with his bag. _I forgot, Natsuki-chan's dense too! Well damnnit…  
_  
"Takao-kun, are you okay?"

"Ahaha, of course I am…!" _JUST SET SAIL ALREADY,_ _ **MY SHIP**_ _!_ Takao screamed in his mind as the girls returned to their conversation. _No_ , Takao thought, at this rate he just _wasn't_ a shipper anymore.

He _luxury cruise_ s his friends, _dammnit_.

* * *

 **A/N: A little rusty at writing orz. Hope you like it! Sorry for the late update.**


	33. Droplet Thirty-Three: Loss

**Drabble Thirty-Three: Loss**

 **A/N: Yay! 33, nice number. ;)**

* * *

Natsuki wasn't there when they lost the match to Seirin. Midorima was half glad she wasn't there - it was a terrible humiliation to the name of Shuutoku, and generally, the basketball boys didn't want to let down their kind new manager-in-training anyway.

It was absolutely disgusting, now that Midorima thought back on his behaviour. How he looked down upon his fellow mates, thinking himself superior when he has much to improve on as well. Kuroko had made him realise that, however grudgingly. He had shown the green-head his conviction, and it had reached him. _No wonder Kise had changed_ , Midorima thought distantly.

 _But defeat is still bitter_ , Midorima thought, his fists clenched. Water (which he refused to acknowledge as tears) slid down his cheeks, as the heaven poured gallons down as if sympathising with the young man who followed its stars' whims faithfully everyday. He hated the taste of defeat - the sudden taste of ash in Midorima's mouth was telling as well. On an uncharacteristic whim, he felt like spitting on the ground like Aomine always did.

But he only stood there, under the rain, green phone clenched in whitening knuckles. He couldn't stand here forever - but it felt like time had stopped. _Was it so hard to accept defeat?_ He berated himself. He _lost_ \- that's a fact no one can change.

(Damnnit, it still sends an uncomfortable pang to his heart when he says the 'l' word.)

 _...how disappointing._ Midorima felt a little faint, his thoughts jumbled up like a train wreck. _Kuroko's will, his loss, basketball..._

 _Natsuki..._

Midorima raised his head. Was that a faint call of his name he heard? But nobody calls him 'Shintaro', except-

He blinked blearily through the rainwater clouding his eyes. The harsh droplets of rain had stopped pelting him like Heaven's punishment, but he could still hear the heavy splatter of water hitting hard ground.

A warm hand slid into his free hand gently, its grip tightening a little.

 _But wasn't she in-?_ _Ah, she was on the train, and the basketball team promised her a victory dinner once she reached-_ Midorima felt his heart sink further. Forget about victory. He tightened his grip on Natsuki's hand, and more tears slid down his cheeks. Defeat tasted absolutely _horrible_.

The small hand guided his limp one to the handle of the umbrella shielding them from the stormy rain, and he held onto it dutifully, still facing away from who he was certain was the brown-haired girl behind him. A flash of panic gripped his heart when her hand left his, and he quickly turned around ( _is she going to leave too-? Like victory deserted me?_ ) - but arms quickly wound around his mid-section, so warm and calm and _what he needed_ , that Midorima relaxed his tense body. Natsuki pressed her head against his chest with a small sigh, her hands rubbing his back soothingly. The green-haired male blinked rapidly, before pressing the heel of a hand to an eye. Warm liquid, so very different to the cold water on his skin, sprung to his eyes. _I'm pathetic_ , he thought dully.

"It'll be okay, Shintaro." The muffled voice could barely be heard over the rain, so small against the thunderous rain.

But just then and there, he let himself believe that small voice in the thunderous rain.

The hand not holding the umbrella raised in a tremble, hesitant and so very unlike the self-assured basketball player Midorima usually was. But it soon descended and pressed against the girl's back - _her hair was soft and wet from the wild rain, her clothes are partially soaked, but her skin radiated warmth_ \- in an attempt to return the hug.

Somewhere deeper in his mind, he recognised the flickering flame in his heart that sparked to life ever so much more, and welled up into a warm hearth. An unexplainable fondness rose in Midorima's heart, and he cursed internally, the fortune reading for Cancers today springing to his mind.

 _'Cancers will realise something important today! The advice is not to fret, but not to ignore it as well~ Don't be afraid to consult a close friend to ask for advice about it. Good luck!'_

Through the soothing rubs on his back and halting tears, the green-head tightened his hold and lowered his head to hide his face, which was slowly gaining a small blush.

 _(Well, crap.)_

 _((It can't be...))_

* * *

 ** _A/N: :))_**


	34. Droplet Thirty-Four: Warmth

**Drabble Thirty-Four: Warmth**

 **A/N: I was wondering if you people are open to a Takao x OC drabble in the same universe as Shin/Natsuki. What do you think?**

* * *

Natsuki cradled her right hand, a flush slowly rising up her cheeks. It was this hand that first seek out Shintaro's left. His skin was cold from the many minutes he stood unmoving in the rain, but it was okay. She was warm from the heater in the train – she could be warm for the both of them, as long as her warrior against fate was fine with it.

 _She hugged him._ The freshly-showered girl curled up in a ball on her couch, her head sinking into the gap between her chest and knees, her sky-blue eyes dreamy and glazed.

 _Did he find it intrusive? Was it too much? Did she overstep her boundaries?_ They were just friends – the story Ming-san told of her first date with her now-husband flitted through her mind. Ming-san and her husband hugged at the end of the date – was hugging an activity reserved between couples only? _Oh no._ Natsuki buried her head in the gap. _What if Shintaro hates me now?_

 _Surely he didn't…_ Takao-kun was always going on and on about how Shintaro likes her a lot. Like _like_ her – probably the _best_ friend kind of _like_ (wasn't it exciting? To think that she had a proper kind of friend, or best friend-!), since Takao was half-whining about how _Shin-chan didn't treat him_ that _way!_

She raised her head slowly, her eyes trailing towards the transparent umbrella still dripping water by the entrance. Takao had soon come by and had offered an apology dinner, since the rest of the basketball boys felt too dejected and left already. Natsuki had declined the offer to eat with Shintaro and Takao - as even though her shifts for the month are complete (Ming-san refused to let her take any more than she was taking, and told her to focus on her studies) – the rain had made her feel weak and just a little bit more… _flimsy_. _Like…_ She tilted her head. _Like a plastic bag._ She decided.

Not just flimsy, actually. Her head started pounding the moment she arrived home. After a shower and some pills later, she deemed herself well enough for some homework. And daydreaming. _Or night-dreaming perhaps, since it was evening-_ her thoughts derailed.

Her phone buzzed, and she jerked, surprised at the sudden loud vibration that disturbed the silence of her apartment. Reaching over, she flipped her phone open, and nearly dropped it at seeing the message Takao sent.

Or picture.

 _ **To: Inoue Natsuki  
From: Takao Kazunari**_

 _[picture attached]_

 _Sorry for letting you deal with crybaby Shin-chan just now. Here's a super cool, no-glasses, sweating, smelly Shin-chan tousling his hair back during practice. Be glad._ _[wink face]_

Natsuki slowly brought a fist up to her mouth, her flushed face even more pronounced, the beating of her heart unusually loud in her ears. _Why what what-?_ Her toes curled, confusion taking the most part of her mind. _Why am I feeling this way?_ The best way she could describe the feeling was… _anticipation? Excitement? But I don't feel like jumping around – what_ is _this?_

The girl decided to type out a reply first.

 _ **To: Takao Kazunari  
From: Inoue Natsuki**_

 _Takao-kun, please. It's no bother, I would love to be able to help Shintaro any day! [smiley face]_

The reply came surprisingly fast.

 _ **To: Inoue Natsuki  
From: Takao Kazunari**_

 _What were you thinking in the past two minutes, five seconds and thirty-seven milliseconds you didn't reply?! [happy face]_

Natsuki blinked.

 _ **To: Takao Kazunari  
From: Inoue Natsuki**_

 _Thinking of a reply? [confused face]_

He didn't reply for a few minutes.

 _ **To: Inoue Natsuki  
From: Takao Kazunari**_

 _I pray that the god of seas can let my luxury cruise sail already. [crying face]_

That was sudden. But wait, Takao-kun has a _cruise_?!

 _ **To: Takao Kazunari  
From: Inoue Natsuki**_

 _Wow, you have a cruise? [wow face] Show me a picture of it some time! [happy face] I do hope your cruise will set sail soon. [smiley face]_

The reply came even later than the previous one – taking about ten minutes, in which Natsuki managed to complete half a page of her biology homework.

 _ **To: Inoue Natsuki  
From: Takao Kazunari**_

 _[picture attached]_

 _This is my cruise. YES, IT BETTER BLOODY SAIL. Speaking of which, Shin-chan told me to stop texting you and let you rest. [hearts]_

Natsuki blinked, before tilting her head with a slight smile. Shintaro was always so kind. But what? That wasn't a picture of a cruise. That's the picture Shintaro and Natsuki took together (at Takao's insistence) after the match with Kinka High.

 _ **To: Takao Kazunari  
From: Inoue Natsuki**_

 _In a few minutes. I'm doing biology. [stricken face] [laughing face] Did you send the wrong picture? That's the one of Shintaro and me._

 _ **To: Inoue Natsuki  
From: Takao Kazunari**_

 _No I didn't. Don't ask. [sealed lips face]_ Natsuki laughed at that, though still a little confused. She decided not to press. _Shin-chan said that if you have any questions, you could just text him. [wink face] Or better yet, call him. Every week. No matter if you have quesjlkadnrigvm_

 _ **To: Inoue Natsuki  
From: Midorima Shintaro**_

 _Don't listen to Takao about his last sentence._

Seeing how Takao ended his text, she imagined the boys wrestling over the former's phone, and let out a light laugh. They were always so amusing.

 _ **To: Midorima Shintaro  
From: Inoue Natsuki**_

 _Will do. [smiley face]_

A few minutes passed in relative silence from her phone's part, and she resumed biology. As she reached the end of the page, her phone buzzed again.

 _ **To: Inoue Natsuki  
From: Midorima Shintaro**_

 _Rest, Natsuki. We can talk another time. Thank you for today._

The girl stared at her phone. The feeling that made her toes curl and her heart beat faster had returned. _What is it? What is she feeling?_ She typed out a quick goodnight, before deciding to sleep it off. Perhaps it's the weather that made her feel so flushed and sensitive today. A good night's sleep would right everything, as her late mother always said.

* * *

 **A/N: Sensitive + Natsuki? AHAHAHAHA no**

 **Repeating my question from the start: I was wondering if you people are open to a Takao x OC drabble in the same universe as Shin/Natsuki. What do you think?**


	35. Droplet Thirty-Five: Camp

**Drabble Thirty-Five: Camp**

The training camp which the basketball team of Shuutoku had as a tradition every year had finally arrived. Midorima stared intently at his phone, clicking away at the keys quickly. He was so focused on the screen that even Takao didn't dare to disturb him, for fear of his wrath.

The other team members were curious though – there was nothing much to do than sing songs and play cards on the bus to the campsite, and their precious manager-in-training is only coming on the second day of camp, as she had an emergency to attend to (no one really wanted to press the sweet girl what it's about).

"Hey, who do you think he's texting?" Miyaji Jr. asked curiously.

The other members all looked up simultaneously to look at Midorima. The greenhead seemed unaware, merely typing away at his phone. Otsubo let out a harrumph, leaning back in his seat, trying not to seem too interested. The team had never seen their shooting guard so focused on the piece of technology before.

"Oh, it's just Natsuki-chan," Takao supplied cheerfully, proud that his friend had managed to even _text_. Natsuki – at that.

Miyaji Sr. raised an eyebrow. "Inoue-chan?" He said, suspicious. His brother wrinkled his nose beside him. "Come now, I know they're sorta acquaintances, but to make Midorima text? Not that he doesn't text, but if he sends what he sends Kise to Inoue-chan, I'll throttle him with a pineapple." Otsubo contributed to the conversation.

Takao let out a nervous chuckle. He saw what Midorima sent to Kise before, when the latter wished him good luck for a match. ' _Die_ ,' it simply said. _Totally what Shin-chan would text – but not to Natsuki-chan, never, that._ The eagle-eye user was sure of that.

Time passed fast after that, with the team excluding Midorima gossiping like old ladies at the market. Soon, they arrived at the beach, where an old wooden beach house stood. There was a well-worn basketball court right by the carpark, and in the distance, a lone convenience store stood at the side of the main road where they came from. The air was fresh and smelled of sea salt, refreshing anyone who breathed it. The lampposts flickered on, as dusk turned to dark.

The owner, a warm, old lady, welcomed them in, and Coach Nakatani gave them a quick overview of the rules. Only the freshmen really listened however, as the seniors had been here before.

"We'll have to make our own meals, and while here, you will go through a strict diet and training schedule. That's about it – unpack your bags, boys. . I will go have a chat with the owner."

Once the coach left, Takao cheered and threw out his sleeping bag on the floor, before dropping and rolling on it. Miyaji Jr. snorted. The black-haired male sighed happily. "Isn't this just like a sleepover? Right, Shin-chan?" He probed, expecting a cutting remark his way.

Only he didn't receive any. As it turned out, the greenhead didn't seem to have heard him, having returned to clicking away on his phone.

Takao exchanged a look with Miyaji Jr.

 _To: Inoue Natsuki  
From: Midorima Shintaro_

 _Chicks are not yellow when 'turning' into a chicken as you put it so eloquently. Here, the picture(s) you asked for._

 _[picture] [picture]_

 _The reply took a while longer than before, as if she was shocked or scandalized. Probably both._

 _To: Midorima Shintaro  
From: Inoue Natsuki_

 _I thought chicks were yellow! (sad face) And that was a picture of a chicken you sent, Shintaro. I wanted nature. Oh, is that the beach? Have you arrived yet? (happy face)_

Midorima stifled a smile at that.

 _To: Inoue Natsuki  
From: Midorima Shintaro_

 _Chickens are a part of nature. And yes, the rest are currently unpacking and getting ready for bed._

 _To: Midorima Shintaro  
From: Inoue Natsuki_

 _You should too! It's getting late, and you must be tired from the long travel. The train will take another few hours, so I would get some sleep too. (smiley) (smiley)_

 _To: Inoue Natsuki  
From: Midorima Shintaro_

 _Fine. I will see you tomorrow. Have a good rest._

With another 'good night', Midorima flipped his phone close for the first time in hours, and let out a small sigh.

The girl had called him early in the morning to tell him that she was not travelling with them, having a small emergency the night before. He was a little, dare he say, disappointed that she wasn't travelling with the bunch. But the disappointment soon gave way in the morning when she sent him a ' _good morning!'_.

(He didn't know texting someone could be fun too.)

 _((Admittedly, his texting skills went as far as telling Kise 'die'…))_

He is a little curious on her emergency, but she didn't elaborate, and he decided not to ask. It couldn't be anything too bad, he convinced himself, though still a little worried. The texting did have him forget about it after a little while. They talked about all sorts of things – the sceneries he saw outside, the animals they liked, their friends (she happily chatted about 'Satsuki-chan', and he couldn't help the swell of warmth knowing that she has a proper friend now), her part-time job, school…

(He almost wished it never ended.)

 _((Almost.))_

When Midorima looked up, he met Takao's eyes, and instinctively threw a nearby pillow at his smug, smirking face. That face spelt trouble.

" _Mmph_ -! What the hell, Shin-chan?" He huffed.

"I apologise, that was a reflex action. In hindsight, you probably deserved it in some way." The shooting guard replied haughtily, pushing his glasses up on its perch.

Takao's offended screech declared the night as a 'pillow-fight war'. Miyaji Jr. roared, ready to join in. Kimura grunted in his corner, and Otsubo protested. Miyaji Sr. just laughed, joining in half-way through.

(Midorima won.)

 **A/N: In canon, the pillow fight never happened because they're a uptight bunch, and there's no Natsuki to loosen them up. (shameless advertising for OC)**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	36. Droplet Thirty-Six: Wash-up

**Drabble Thirty-Six: Wash-up**

 **A/N: Dayum, I made a mistake. Anyone who read the previous version of this chapter - I put Riko as the 'manager', but I've changed it to coach now. Sorry for the mix-up!**

* * *

"N _aaa_ tsuki-chan!"

"T _aaa_ kao-kun!" The girl greeted cheerily in the same way, raising a hand to wave at the teen. "Good morning, everyone," she said shyly, peeking into the room where the basketball members slept. The room can be seen to be clearly divided, and the neatest corner with no stray clothes and a folded sleeping bag very clearly spelled 'Midorima Shintaro'.

 _But where is he?_

Having arrived just that morning a few hours ago at the campsite, she had spent the early hours helping the old owner of the place clean up some rooms and help out, as she had slept enough on the way here anyway. It was quite interesting hearing about Coach Nakatani's childhood – which apparently centered in this area, and that the owner knew him personally –

"Earth to Natsuki-chan~" Takao waved a hand in front of her face, and she blinked, a sheepish smile immediately coming on.

"Sorry, er, where's Shintaro?" She asked. Some of the boys, such as the captain Otsubo and Kimura had already moved out, and she saw them going to the washroom on her way here. Miyaji Sr. was still trying to wake Miyaji Jr., and Takao had opened the door for her. Speaking of the latter, he had a splitting grin on his face, like he was laughing at some inner joke. Natsuki let a slightly exasperated, clueless smile on her face. Really, her friend is always so joyous (what is he laughing about anyway?).

"He went to get some fresh air down that corridor – apparently they have huge ass windows there – , but we're going to the washroom together. Coming?" He asked, his smile falling into a well-placed smirk.

"I don't think Natsuki should enter the men's washroom," a deeper, familiar voice interrupted, and the girl flushed red. Takao took note and tried to surreptitiously hide his grin. Midorima came up from behind, and offered a nod to the girl, a ghost of a smile touching his lips.

Natsuki let out a light laugh. "I don't think the washroom's available right now. I saw Otsubo-senpai and Kimura-senpai going there just now," not to mention the washroom is small, "but there are sinks near the kitchen." The girl recalled.

The black-haired teen clapped his hands zealously and rushed into the room to grab his essentials. "Then let's hurry! I'll get yours for you Shin-chan!" his voice trailed off as he concentrated on digging through his own mess of a bag.

Natsuki watched the other with a fond smile, before turning to Midorima, who was leaning against the wall, looking to be settled for quite a wait. Her heart fluttered when she realized his eyes were on her the entire time, and a slight blush coloured her cheeks. _Aah, I'm acting like a…a… a what?_ She scrunched up her nose, before shaking the thought off.

"How was your trip here?" He asked, his voice low and quiet. The chirping of birds outside seemed to be louder than ever, and Natsuki twisted her hands behind her back.

( _Why am I feeling nervous? Like there's butterflies…_ , she thinks, swallowing before resolving to not avert her eyes.)

"It was fine," her voice took a teasing tone as her blue eyes held a hint of playfulness. "You kept me entertained with chickens." She laughed.

( _She laughs so easily_ , he thinks, not without a touch of fondness.)

"It was not my fault they appeared throughout the trip," he shot back with a slight smirk. "And I reinforce my argument – there are a few wild ones outside from the window."

"Where?" Her eyes sparkled in excitement as the girl immediately flew up to the nearest window, keen eyes searching for any moving object. He bit back a chuckle. She is so easily distracted.

"THERE ARE _CHICKENS_?" Takao flew out of the room, almost barreling into Midorima to get to the window. The traces of mirth he held drained out, and the greenhead's eyebrow twitched. How annoying.

 _(What-? Why did he feel-_ _ **annoyed**_ _…)_

 _((It must be Takao almost running into him. It can't be any other thing… Right?))_

"Finally," Midorima snapped. "Let's go. Any more dallying and even Miyaji Jr. will be faster."

A sleepy grumble of 'I heard that!' came from the room, along with a spiel of scolding from Miyaji Sr. about how he should stop oversleeping.

Natsuki giggled, and the trio made their way to the sinks.

"Oh, I was helping the owner out. Apparently, there are other students here too, from another school…" Midorima's ears perked up, and he tuned into the conversation that Takao and Natsuki were having. Other students? Strange, they must have arrived at a different timing from them. They caught neither hide nor hair of anyone else.

Hair… _blue_... That _atrocious_ bedhead…

"Kuroko?" He let slip, surprised that out of all the schools, it's _Seirin_. And joy, that Kagami bird is there. _Must be the basketball club_ , he thought a little sourly.

His thoughts turned more salty and sour when Natsuki showed clear recognition of the two, claiming Kuroko to be the one to have helped her with water bottles in the stadium at Shuutoku's match. Takao subtly inched away from Midorima.

Just then, Seirin's coach (as he recognized from the match), came around the corner in an apron, with a knife drenched in blood. Takao choked on his spit at the sight, and Midorima almost flinched back. _Who the hell holds knives – choppers – that way?!_ His eyes trailed to the blue-haired girl in front of him, itching to pull the girl behind him. (It's a natural response. Trust him.) But he stayed his hand.

"Oh, are you cooking? Allow me to help!" Natsuki offered with a bright smile. The coach came closer, and Takao inched a little behind Midorima.

"You will?" She waved the knife around dangerously, and Midorima's hand twitched forward, almost grabbing onto the blue-eyed girl's. She didn't notice however, and continued walking towards the other girl. "Ah, I saw you around the kitchens with the owner just now! Are you with Shuutoku?" The pair of girls walked off, engaged in conversation. Midorima relaxed a little, with Takao still huddled behind him.

"What the fuck?" Takao whispered.

Midorima decided to phrase it in a better way. "What kind of school do you go to?" He asked the stoic blue-haired teen in front of him.

"It's Seirin, Midorima-kun."

 _What the actual hell_ , he groaned in his mind, shakily adjusting his glasses.

* * *

 **A/N: And I just realized we are 1/3 through this fic! Yay, congrats haha \o/ takao has a potty mouth in this chapter :P**

 **Anyway, thank you to all the supporters thus far! u.u I would have never made it this far without you guys. Let's aim for 100 followers! `(uAu) 100 people to follow the love story of Shintaro and Natsuki, how cool is that hehe.**

 **Thank you to everyone once again!**


	37. Droplet Thirty-Seven: Realisation

**Drabble Thirty-Seven: Realisation**

 **A/N: Italics is flashback.**

* * *

" _Satsuki-chan!"_

" _Eh? What's wrong, Natsuki-chan? You sound frantic."_

" _Uh... I have a question."_

" _Hmm? What's that?"_

"… _What is love?"_

* * *

"No no, I'm just their errand girl, Riko-chan!" Natsuki denied cheerfully, subtly batting the vitamin bottles away, instead putting the salt bottle within reach of Riko. The girl, too distracted by the conversation (a possible manager of Shuutoku!), hummed and palmed the bottle of salt, putting three shakes into the soup.

"Not their manager? I see…" She seemed to realise that she had failed to add the 'ingredient' she desired, since the girl yelped and dropped the bottle. Natsuki caught it with an expert hand, before settling it gently on the counter.

"Ah, crap, did I add too much salt?" The coach cursed and started looking for the bottles of vitamin which the blue-eyed girl hid in the pockets of her apron.

"You didn't! That was just enough." Ignoring the obvious searching motions of the girl, she taste-tested the soup, before deeming it ready. "I think we can let the owner try this to see what she has to say, but otherwise we're done here." The rice cooker went off with a beep, distracting the Seirin coach from her search. The small girl heaved a relieved sigh, stashing the bottles in the cabinet behind her. She didn't know the kitchen expedition was actually so dangerous.

"I'll serve the soup, Riko-chan. You can do the rice portions!" Natsuki suggested, getting to work immediately.

"Don't you have to help out your own group, Natsuki-chan?" She asked curiously, reaching for a rice paddle.

"Ah… The owner was up early, and we made breakfast together. Their breakfast is on the table already." Riko blinked, a little surprised.

"Whoa, you must've been up pretty early."

"I arrived at dawn, that's why," the girl said sheepishly, serving the last bowl of soup. "Ah, speaking of which, I should be getting back. Shintaro would be worried…" The girl set the last bowl down.

"Sorry I couldn't help you bring these to the dining room."

"No, it's fine! You helped me lots already!" The coach said gratefully.

Natsuki grinned back hesitantly, palming the cabinet behind her, before pulling out the bottles of vitamin. Feeling brave enough to be a little playful after the eventful cooking expedition with the girl, she winked and placed it on the countertop.

"Vitamins should be taken with water, not inside the food," the blue-eyed girl reminded gently, and disappeared from the kitchen, leaving only a brief whiff of sunshine.

Riko blinked, a little bewildered as she reached for one of the bottles. "Right…it'll be more potent with water…" she muttered to herself, sure of the conclusion she came to, before pocketing the bottles.

Hyuuga then peeked into the kitchen. "Is the food ready, Coach?" He took a whiff of the aroma, before smiling. "Seems like you did a great job, Riko."

The coach gained a satisfied blush from the compliment before pulling the basketball player into the kitchen. "Thanks, but help me bring these to the table!"

* * *

"… _I think, it's wanting to care for that person. Wanting the other person's attention, wanting to get to know them more and spend more time with them. Wanting to be of help to them; to be a part of their life. …What's with that sudden question, Natsuki-chan?"_

" _Ah- um, nothing, Satsuki-chan! Er, thank you for your answer…"_

" _Hm, if you say so! Good luck, Natsuki-chan!"_

" _Ah, thank…you?"_

" _Hehe, anything for you, Nacchan!"_

* * *

 _The girl was red in the face, her eyes wide and her phone clutched to her chest. She looked up into the smiling picture of her parents on the altar._

" _I... I think I like Shintaro." She covered her mouth, turning redder at the realization. "W-What should I do, tou-san, kaa-san?"_

 _The flame on the candle flickered brightly, unnoticed by the girl._

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter turned into sort of a mess because I haven't written in 239045 years orz. Time to start flexing my finger muscles! ouo hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I would be glad if you leave a review heh**


	38. Droplet Thirty-Eight: Walk

**Drabble Thirty-Eight: Walk**

* * *

"They'll be taking a break soon – I'll go grab some drinks from the convenience store." Natsuki volunteered, her eyes straying from the clipboard she was holding. The girl was learning how to judge movements on the court and also use her newly acquired knowledge of the rules of a basketball match. Though nowhere as good as her pink-haired friend, she was trying hard.

Coach Nakatani smiled and nodded. "Come back soon, Inoue." The girl grinned and gave a mini-salute, before abandoning her clipboard and heading down the stone paths to where the sandy beaches lay. He squinted – there seem to be a red-haired guy running along the shore – perhaps from Seirin. Creative training method, he hummed thoughtfully before turning back to Shuutoku's team.

The whistle was soon blown, and the players trailed to the makeshift benches, grabbing water bottles and towels. Takao looked up, his eyes scanning the vicinity curiously.

"Coach, where's Natsuki-chan?"

"Inoue is getting drinks from the store by the road." He snapped his file shut. "We're done for tonight, boys. Get some rest and we shall have debrief in the large room next to your rooms." The Coach left promptly to help when he saw the old owner of the cabin tugging along a large water can to the flower pots.

Miyaji Jr. stretched. "I'm goin' for a bath. Coming?" His older brother agreed, and the seniors quickly followed, all wanting some rest after the vigorous training they underwent.

"You coming along, Shin-chan?" Takao asked, already poised for leaving the basketball court.

Midorima's eyes tore away reluctantly from the strip of shore, before he threw his water bottle and towel at Takao. The black-haired male yelped, fumbling with the items he caught on reflex.

"She might get lost at such an unfamiliar place. Go ahead without me." The green-haired male instructed haughtily, before turning down the stone path, his pace shy of a jog.

His partner-on-court watched his back, a grin stretching his lips slowly, before he whistled all the way into the cabin.

* * *

Midorima's eye twitched when he saw the red-haired male from Seirin _(that Kagami person…)_ walking beside the small form of his friend. Good friend. _Very_ good friend.

Kagami held on to a plastic bag with cans of drinks in it, while Natsuki awkwardly tottered along, a slight step behind him. Midorima felt a flash of triumph. If _he_ was the one walking next to Natsuki, _his very good friend_ , they would definitely be having an animated chat instead of this _pathetic_ excuse of companionship. With that assuring thought in his mind, the green-haired male put his nose high up in the air, striding forward before smoothly cinching the bag from the brown-haired girl's arms before she could utter a word.

"Oh, hey you…" Kagami said in surprise. "Ya' came to get her?" He grinned good-naturedly. "I need to get back to my training soon, so could you take this?" He passed the bag of canned drinks to him, before jogging down the stripe of sandy beach with a wave (and a pretty relieved expression – perhaps Midorima's scowl was too pronounced).

"Natsuki, you should have went with me or one of the others." Midorima chided, adjusting the bags in his hands. "This is unfamiliar territory."

The blue-eyed girl just smiled, a touch of pink dusting her cheeks. "I'm fine! Did practice ended already? I wanted to get these to everyone before it ended…"

Midorima's eyes softened as he placed a gentle hand on the small of her back, nudging her forward. (He noted at the back of his mind that idle touches between them were more frequent now, which he couldn't say he hated.)

The girl started walking, and he followed her slow pace easily. "Do not worry. They will accept the drinks regardless of the timing." He assured. Spying a can of red bean soup in the bag, his heart warmed. All the members had different tastes in drinks – and Natsuki had bothered to memorise all of them, even the coach's. He wouldn't be surprised if she bought one for the old owner of their lodgings.

"They're always so kind," she said with a grin. Midorima stared, before averting his eyes. _You're the kind one_ , he thought, but his mouth remained sealed.

"Ah, it's the first time in years I've been to the beach! I'm so glad I got to come here with everyone… Thank you for giving me the chance to be here, Shintaro." Natsuki said gratefully,

"It was the least I could do," he replied quietly, tipping his glasses up. "It has been awhile since you've joined, but if any of them make you uncomfortable-"

Natsuki giggled, and Midorima blinked, turning to regard her.

She just shook her head with a fond smile. "You nag a lot, Shintaro," she teased. Red bloomed up his neck, and he rubbed his nape, looking away.

"I don't." He argued.

"You do… _and it's cute_." She said the last part softly, blush colouring her cheeks as she looked towards the beach. Midorima's head snapped towards her, his eyes wide and his face red. _Crap_ , he thought, his heart pounding painfully loud in his chest, _could she hear it too?_

When the silence dragged out too much, the girl quickly laughed to stave off the impending awkwardness when it became apparent he had heard it. "Ahaha, T-Takao-kun…said…that." She lied. Badly, even so. Midorima's lips twitched up despite the strange atmosphere. _She is always so endearing._

Soon, their walk by the beach (oh god, that made them sound like a _c-c-co…coup—_ ) led them to the stone paths and basketball courts, where Seirin had taken to practicing at in the evening. The sky had turned dark and the sun set, bringing the arrays of orange and pink patches of sky with it.

Midorima's eyes trailed towards the girl skipping ahead to greet the boys who emerged from the hot bath cheerfully. An unwarranted thought squirmed its way to the forefront of his mind.

 _Does she…feel anything for him at all?_

* * *

 **A/N: So we have Midorima here being an emotional stump and basically not daring to say any word romantically related, but yet knowing what it is about. Sorry for the long pause! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review to tell me what you think and any scenarios you would like to see~**


	39. Droplet Thirty-Nine: Kind

**Drabble Thirty-Nine: Kind**

 **A/N: Kagami has been appearing waaay more than I intended lol**

* * *

Midorima's lips twisted into a scowl, his eyes slanted into an apathetic glare. Kagami's fiery eyes and stance did not back down, instead getting more aggressive.

"I'll win next time; it won't always be that way!" The red-head declared in response the Midorima's provoking statement of the former losing to Aomine.

Takao watched intently, one hand grasping onto Natsuki's arm so as to not let her blow their cover behind the bushes. The girl worried her bottom lip, twisting the fabric of her shirt in her fists. Kuroko, who was dragged behind the bushes with them as well, leaned out slightly to get a better visual grasp of the situation.

The green-head's eyes traveled upwards to the hand print marks on the basketball hoop stand. A scoff escaped his lips, before mocking words followed. "Don't tell me you believe you could fight him _in the air_." His glasses flashed. "Is jumping all you can think about, _fool_?"

Kagami's offended gawk was ignored as Natsuki pursed her lips, and Takao covertly turned his attention to her. Perhaps she had never seen this side of Midorima – the side where the green-haired male unintentionally hid from her, or perhaps never had the heart to show her… Midorima had never been anything less than kind or cordial towards her. Takao resisted letting out a groan – perhaps he had to do some damage control if the brown-haired girl showed to be repellent against this side of his partner-on-court.

"Simply jumping higher will not change the results," Midorima continued and placed his can of red bean soup on the ground, "that is half the answer. It is not a weapon yet." Confidence oozed from his quiet words in the dark night.

"Come. I will correct your simplistic thinking," the green-head turned towards Kagami, basketball in hand. Natsuki leaned forward a tiny bit, and Takao loosened his hold, his interest spiking.

 _Shin-chan's…not just picking a fight. There's a reason behind it? Half the answer? There's something behind those ridiculous jumps of his?_ Takao puzzled, his eyes narrowed and focused.

"We'll play ten tries. You're on offense, and I'm on defense," the basketball was passed swiftly from a pair of hands to the other. Kagami looked up from the ball in his hands, watching Midorima with something akin to aggressive suspicion. "If you score even once, you win."

" _Huh_? I don't know what you're thinking, but do you really believe you can stop me ten times in a row?" Kagami demanded. "If you think you can stop me, then let's see it!" His hot-headedness reached a peak.

Kuroko huffed a silent sigh at Kagami's response, the only emotion he had shown thus far in all the hustle and bustle. Natsuki tilted her head, her fists releasing the wrinkled fabric as she settled in to watch. Takao discreetly removed his hold, assured that she wouldn't run out in all the excitement, and turned his attention to the pair in the carpark as well.

"Don't worry, I will not lose," Midorima announced in his usual lofty tone, a hand coming up to adjust his glasses. "In today's horoscope, both my fortune and match up are much better than yours." _He's mocking him. Shin-chan's definitely mocking him._ Takao thought dryly.

The one-on-one started.

Kagami went in for the blow, but it was evident that Midorima had covered every hole there possibly was for him to exploit. The former's eyes widened at the well-practiced defensive stance, and Midorima's glasses flashed.

"How insulting. Did you really think I could do nothing but shoot threes?"

To his credit, the red-head did not take the bait, instead going in for another jump. Natsuki's blue eyes followed the form of the tall male intensely, as if trying to memorise every movement.

 _There it is again. Kagami's jumps are obviously better, why's he losing the aerial battle?_ Takao wracked his brain, watching the nonchalant form of Midorima regain his stance after blocking yet another dunk.

"Damn it, just one more time-" Kagami picked up the basketball, but Midorima interjected.

"I'm stopping this. No matter how many times we play, it will still be the same."

"You bastard!" He took a threatening step forward, unable to take the criticism. Natsuki seem to snap out of her focused trance, half-rising to run over and stop a fight from breaking out. Takao reached out to grab her, but there was no need as the green-head continued.

" _Notice it already_ , you fool." Kagami startled. Midorima turned towards the hoop. "No matter how high you jump, stopping you is easy, because I _know_ you will dunk."

Kagami's eyes widened, and his grip on the ball tightened.

Midorima started walking back to the cabin without a backward glance at him, before stopping by the bushes where the trio hid. "Let's go, Natsuki, Takao."

"What, you knew?" Takao said laughingly. Midorima reached out a hand to the brown-haired girl without much thought, and she grasped it, smiling brightly in gratitude back at him. _No damage to control?_ Takao, the ever good friend, wondered.

Kuroko watched the exchange passively, his eyes going up to meet the burning stare that addressed him from above.

"Don't disappoint me at the Winter Cup preliminaries." Kuroko's eyes, though the colour is close to ice, did not fail to burn like fire.

"We won't."

Natsuki blinked, alternating her stare between the two basketball players, before smiling widely. "See you at the Winter Cup, Kuroko-san!" She said cheerfully, not seeming to take in much of the serious atmosphere. Tugging at Midorima's hand (which, when the male realized he was still holding on to, blushed beet red for it), she headed towards the cabin.

Takao trailed behind with a cheerful whistle, a grin growing on his face when he caught a snippet of what the blue-eyed girl said to the companion she tugged along.

" _You don't act like you are to many, but you're actually really kind, Shintaro."_

(Damn it, he should've caught Shin-chan's expression on camera!)

((On second thought, he shouldn't even have considered the need for damage control. _They really were made for each other_ , Takao thought happily.))

* * *

 **A/N: Matchmaker Takao cackles**


	40. Droplet Forty: Dream

**Drabble Forty: Dream**

* * *

Midorima could see lights.

They were strategically located about a meter apart from each other, at a height of two point five meters tall. It was a reasonable height for a streetlamp in Asian settings such as Japan, and equally reasonable to see in places such as the resort-like place he's residing in currently.

So what was so very strange about this place? Everything could be seen – the bushes, trees, crudely-made gravel stone paths, even the hard benches he had sat in for multiple times in the past few days, either resting after a vigorous practice match or just enjoying the cool night air with Natsuki and occasionally Takao. He could remember one memorable night when the rest of the team invaded their personal space and refused to leave, speaking incessantly about 'bonding'.

Back to what was wrong.

The basketball hoop, check. A single washed-blue car – the owner's car, check. So…what?

Midorima's head snapped up, as sound replaced the buzzing in his ear and he turned one round, broadening his visual field to take in the entire carpark. The night suddenly seemed sinister, and his heart pounded in his ears.

 _What was it?_

 _Hey…_

He moved back – and suddenly he saw _them_. _They were all there._

His teammates, surrounding a spot in the carpark. Not even pausing to wonder why they weren't there before, his foot moved, an excruciating step after each one as he dragged his body forward. Blood rushed in his ears, and his palms felt sweaty. The atmosphere weighed heavily on his shoulders like clouds waiting to strike fear through lightning and grapple him in its storm. Sounds barely registered in his head until he processed them – _wake up, what's happening, no no no, please –_

 _Natsuki._

A breath escaped his lips, too soft to be counted as a gasp. But as one, his teammates turned to face him, their faces bright with shock and lit with fear.

"M-Midorima…your father is a doctor, ain't he? D-Don't you know a thing or two? _Save her!_ " Miyaji – he wasn't sure which one – shouted out desperately, one or two of the others saying their assent. But the green-haired male barely took in any of his words, as he caught a glimpse of the girl curled up on the ground, her hands grappling her head and her eyes squeezed shut. Tears seeped out like a broken dam from her eyes, and an occasional soft moan escaped her lips.

"N-Natsuki…?" Midorima said, and suddenly he knew this was what all this was about. This was what he was meant to see here from the start – and fear squeezed his heart that he almost felt he couldn't breathe. "Natsuki, look at me –" He tried, but his voice broke off and a terrible high whine escaped her lips, and more tears slipped down her cheeks.

Dropping down on his knees, Midorima felt his mind went blank. In the back of his mind, he _knew_ that he knew what this was, how to alleviate it, how to solve this, but the ideas escaped him every time he tried to make a weak grasp at it. His heart stuttered when her brilliant blue eyes opened suddenly, piercing him with clarity.

"H-Hey…" A weak sound escaped her lips, a trail of saliva dripping down the side of her lips as she tried to pull up a smile. "Sorry…" Natsuki managed, somehow pulling a hand away from her head to reach for Midorima's face. A few brown strands of long hair came off with her hand, and Midorima grasped her hand tightly.

"D-Don't…" He stuttered, suddenly unsure of what to say and do.

Natsuki's lips pulled up into a half smile, before her eyes unfocused. His pulse shot up, and the hand slipped out of his grasp.

" _ **Natsuki-!**_ "

Midorima sat up from his futon, sweat beaded on his brow as he panted heavily. The room suddenly seemed lighter, and all he could see were faint outlines of bodies and a door. A melody of snores greeted his ears, and he tore his emerald eyes away to the window. Patches of pink and orange adorned the horizons, signaling their last morning in this training camp.

Tearing the blanket off his body, he released a sigh when the wooden door slid shut behind him. _It was a dream. It was_ _ **all**_ _a_ _ **dream**_ _._

Letting a curse slip from his lips, he tousled his hair and headed for the tatami room, only marginally comforted by the fact that it was at least a half hour before they had to rise and pack for the trip back to Tokyo.

"Shintaro? You're up early," a bright voice _(that was so, so_ _ **weak**_ _just minutes before)_ greeted. Midorima's head snapped towards her, still high-strung after the bad dream.

"Ah-, yes." He replied, a grimace settling in his features. Natsuki (who looked too refresh for such an early time) furrowed her eyebrows, making her way towards the tall male. "Are you okay, Shintaro? You look a little tired."

He huffed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand and frowning at the sweat he could feel. "I didn't sleep well."

Natsuki hummed, before smiling a little. "I suppose you can't go back to sleep. Would you like a cup of tea?" She smiled. "I'll put these towels away first!" She announced brightly _(so, so unlike the crumpled form in the carpark-),_ before she turned down the hall.

Midorima's heart jolted _**(don't leave-!)**_ , and his hand reached out before he could think, grasping onto her wrist (the very same spot). She jolted in surprise, dropping the neatly folded towels when he pulled her into his chest.

"…don't leave," he finally breathed out, as if he had kept it in all this time. The girl tilted her head in question, her face buried in his chest, her face burning a bright red (though he could not see).

Sensing that it was probably something he needed, she wound her arms around his waist and patted his back. "I won't," she replied reassuringly.

The tension released in his shoulders, and he swallowed.

"…thank you."

* * *

 **AN: I just needed to kill someone without actually killing them LOL.**


	41. Droplet Forty-One: Gift

**Special Drabble**

 **Drabble Forty-One: Gift**

 **A/N: SLIGHT AU WHERE MIDORIMA AND NATSUKI ARE A COUPLE ALREADY, AT CHRISTMAS TIME. We'll be back to the normal timeline after this.**

* * *

Midorima glanced down at his watch, a nervous tick he had acquired ever since he started dating Natsuki. He had always made it a habit to arrive early for their dates and meetings (even if it was just meeting at the school gates), being too polite to even considering anything else. It wasn't like Natsuki runs late as well, so he never had to wait long.

Today, however, the queues were growing and the crowds were getting thicker. Another minute ticked pass, and he frowned slightly. Natsuki had never been late before. Worry clouded his mind in an instant, and he wondered if she had gotten lost on the way. Perhaps they should have agreed to meet somewhere more familiar, like the school – (" _That's such a lame date spot, Shin-chan,"_ he could almost hear Takao saying that)…

Before Midorima could decide whether to call the brown-haired girl, a small body knocked into his from behind, and he stumbled a little from the shock, glad that his thick coat had absorbed some of the impact.

"Shintaro! Sorry for being late," a sheepish, muffled voice sounded. The green-haired male turned around halfway, catching a glimpse of his girlfriend's flushed face. ( _Girlfriend_ – he still can't get used to that.) She smiled back at him brightly, and it was only then that Midorima realized his lips had tilted up to form a smile involuntarily at the sight of her.

"It's fine. I was worried you had gotten into trouble somehow," He said succinctly, though the hint of worry was evident. Pushing back from the hug, he gave a one-glance over Natsuki (and blushed a little – the ribbon tying back her hair in a half-ponytail was a gift from him, and it looked good on her).

Aside from the slightly crumpled paper bag in the girl's hands, there didn't seem to be anything out-of-usual. _Good_. Pushing his glasses up, Midorima inclined his head towards the café. "It's that way."

"Ooh, before that!" Natsuki stopped mid-step, pushing the paper bag into his hands. "Merry Christmas, Shintaro!" She smiled brightly, tipping her toes up to give him a kiss on the cheek. Midorima's ears turned red as he received the present.

"Gift exchange so early into the date? You're very eager," he retorted with a small smile, happy to see Natsuki so full of energy. "Here's mine for you," he took out a small green with a ribbon tied neatly on it.

"Together on three?" The blue-eyed girl suggested as she received the present. With assent, she counted. "One, two, three-!"

A complicated swirl of repeating patterns greeted Midorima's eyes, and he blinked, realizing it was a hand-knit sweater. A black one, that looked comfortable for wear during cold weathers, yet not too thick for warm ones for Tokyo's climate.

A gasp caught his attention, and Natsuki raised the keychain. Midorima flushed, a little unused to the adoring look on the girl's face as she admired the double-popsicle. Light shone through it, and a rainbow of colours exited from the other side. Her mouth parted in wonder.

"I-It's a prism," he started. "You looked very fascinated by Takao's physics textbook – ah, the chapter on light. So I thought…" She barreled into him, and he barely caught himself, arms wounding around her on instinct.

"Thank you, Shintaro," Natsuki said softly, in a voice only he could hear in this busy city.

He swallowed and adjusted his glasses. "…Oha-Asa said that it's also Pisces' lucky item for the day."

A bubble of laughter erupted from her lungs, and she pulled back from the hug to give him a wide smile. "Right they did!" Natsuki replied with cheer.

Midorima's hands tightened around the wool sweater in his hands, and he smiled. If someone told him he'll be in this position one year ago, he would have thrown a basketball in their face. But now…

"Thank you for the sweater, _darling_. Merry Christmas, Natsuki." She flushed red, as expected whenever he sprung an endearment on her. Midorima chuckled.

He wouldn't trade this for anything else.

* * *

 **A/N: And he proceeded to wear the sweater every day, which Takao teased him about a lot. The end.**

 **Headcanon that Midorima is the kind to attach secret nicknames to his s/o, and lets it slip every now and then accidentally. Initially, he gets embarrassed too, but depending on their s/o's reaction (tease Mido about it/gets more embarrassed than him), Midorima either gets bolder (seen above where he teases)/tries to stop. Make this sweetheart continue pls**

 **If you did not read the A/N above,** **THIS IS A SLIGHT AU** **, fast-forwarded so that I can fit a Christmas drabble in. Next drabble it will be back to the normal timeline.**

 **Enjoy your Christmas, everyone.**


	42. Droplet Forty-Two: Realisation II

**Drabble Forty-Two: Realisation**

* * *

"I got all Bs!" Takao crowed in joy, pumping his fist up in the air. His classmates flocked to him - girls with admiration and boys with the flagrant joy of passing their exams too.

Midorima watched all that with an impassive eye, his eyes darting down to survey his own examination scripts as well. All As - as expected. He had better start reviewing his sciences over the weekend again though - Father might call him in for a short internship at the hospital before the basketball season starts up again.

In all the bustle and hustle (the teacher having long given up on controlling the class on days like these), Midorima reached for his phone and tapped out a simple message.

 _ **To: Inoue Natsuki**_

 _ **From: Midorima Shintaro**_

 _How did you do?_

Then he cursed internally. Did that sound too invasive? Was that too direct? Dammnit, he should've been more subtle with his wording and gave her a choice as to whether to disclose her results or-

 _ **To: Midorima Shintaro**_

 _ **From: Inoue Natsuki**_

 _Look look! photo attached I never thought I could do it!_

He peered at the photo attached. It was of her report - and she had gotten Bs, even an A in Biology. Midorima smiled slightly.

 _ **To: Natsuki Inoue**_

 _ **From: Midorima Shintaro**_

 _You did well. It is as expected of someone who worked hard. Keep aiming higher, Natsuki._

He paused.

 _I'm happy for you._

He quickly clicked out the sentence and sent the message over. Having spent much time studying with the girl, he really thought she deserved the grades. He couldn't help but feel joy - all those quiet days in the library together had really paid off.

"You're the apple of my eye, sir!" Takao announced, dancing over to the teacher. Snickers rang out through the class, and the teacher stared back dryly.

"And you're the lemon to my taste buds. Take a seat, class." He said, finally getting a semblance of control over the usually disciplined class. Midorima discreetly stashed his phone away, but not before glancing at her reply.

 _ **To: Midorima Shintaro**_

 _ **From: Inoue Natsuki**_

 _Thank you, Shintaro! I baked cookies for everyone later, look forward to it :p_

He smiled to himself as the teacher started his ramble, which will no doubt continue for the next 20 minutes. The green-haired male did not take out his phone again, but felt the inexplicable need to reply. Texting Natsuki had become as natural as breathing over the past few weeks, and he found himself enjoying their conversations a lot. Socialising didn't feel like a chore with her.

As the bell rang, he whipped his phone out under the table and sent a quick text.

 _To: Inoue Natsuki_

 _From: Midorima Shintaro_

 _If you don't have a special portion set aside for me, I'd be upset._

Midorima managed to give himself an internal pat on the back. They had gotten accustomed enough to texting that it felt natural enough to tease her. His phone vibrated -the reply came surprisingly fast.

 _To: Midorima Shintaro_

 _From: Inoue Natsuki_

 _Aww, of course I have it!_

He stared at the heart. And stared. And stared.

Midorima turned a bright shade of red as he turned towards the window beside his seat, raising his free hand to cover the lower half of his face. ...it was just a heart. Shit. _Shit_.

"Shin-chan, we have PE next! Hurreeeh!"

The green-haired male for once, didn't snap at Takao for shouting his nickname out in class. Instead, his eyes fixed on his phone as he contemplated just what he had gotten himself into.

 _Oh god. I like Natsuki._ He realised belatedly. _In a r-r-romantic s-sense._

"Shiiiiin-chan, are ya listening?" Takao peered over at what his partner was staring at, before smirking widely.

 _Cute._ He snickered. _Looks like it won't be long._


End file.
